The Second Chance
by LynnLayne18
Summary: What if Spencer decided not to tutor Toby in season 1? What if they never got together? Now, one year later, they should be in love, but still have trust issues with each other, all because Spencer didn't want to get too close. This is what happens when given a second chance to find each other. Spoby.
1. Chapter 1

"Wait! Aria!" Spencer tried to grab Aria's arm in the hallway as she chased after her. Luckily, their lockers were next to each other so running wouldn't be necessary.

Aria tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as she opened her locker door. "What's up?"

Spencer hoisted her bag higher on her shoulder. "Do you think you'll be able to come over later? To study?"

The petite brunette bit her lip. "I kinda already made plans with…_Ezra_," her voice dropped at the name, afraid of anyone hearing her.

Spencer was used to this. She was the only single one. She opened up her locker as well. "No, that's fine. I can ask Emily."

Aria touched her shoulder softly. "Sorry," her smile was apologetic.

She smiled back, pretending to play it off. "Seriously. Go with him. I'll ask Em."

"Actually," Aria said, closing her locker door. "He's going away for a conference on Friday. We could all sleep over."

Spencer softly shook her head. "Melissa just came home. I'm not sure my place would be the best."

The warning bell rang for them to go to their next class. Aria still had to get all the way to the other side of the building. "We'll talk later."

* * *

Emily tapped her pencil on her notebook repeatedly but still couldn't think of the answer. She and Spencer were on her bed later that day, trying to study.

"Do you need help?"

Emily was looking out the window now. "Huh? Oh. Um, sorry. I was just…"

Spencer followed her gaze to Emily's front yard. "What am I looking at?"

She shook her head. "Sorry. I just don't know why Toby is at his parent's house," Emily nodded to his truck in their driveway. Toby had moved out of his parents' place to live on his own, above The Brew.

Spencer sighed. Toby had always been a touchy subject between the girls. Though they knew they were wrong about him being Ali's killer or being A, Emily was the only one on any friendly terms with him. Toby and Emily were actually still good friends, one year later. It's not that Spencer and the other girls didn't trust him but there was just too much history. The girls, excluding Emily, just figured it would be best to not get involved.

"I don't either," Spencer agreed. "Does Jenna still live there?"

"As far as I know, yeah. When I talk to Toby, Jenna isn't exactly a topic we love to discuss."

Spencer chuckled. "I guess not." She nodded over to Emily's notes. "It helps to highlight."

Emily unwillingly tore her gaze from the window and popped the cap of a highlighter off with her teeth. They spent another few minutes in silence.

"Do you have plans Friday?" Spencer asked.

Emily looked up at the ceiling, trying to think. "As of now, no. My mom wants me to go to some dinner but she's not _forcing_ me."

"Well what if we all got together? Preferably here."

Emily nodded. "That'd be perfect. But I have swim practice so we can meet here later in the day."

Spencer ended up staying pretty late that night. When she left, she noticed Toby's truck was gone. She was glad. She would take any chance not to run into him. There was just too much history. Spencer already had two classes of the day with him.

* * *

Aria squealed as a piece of popcorn came flying at her later that Friday night. The four of them were all in Emily's room. Their books were spread out on the bed and floor but they weren't doing much studying. Hanna and Emily were on the bed while Aria and Spencer were lying down on the floor.

"I swear more of the popcorn always ends up in our hair than our mouths," Aria grumbled. She started picking at her hair to get the tiny pieces out.

"Isn't that the point of popcorn?" Hanna questioned.

The other girls giggled. "What time is your mom coming home?" Spencer asked Emily.

Emily turned on her phone to see the current time. "About an hour, I guess."

"We only have two weeks left until winter break," Hanna noted. She sighed and leaned back. "Can you believe we're already halfway through senior year?"

"What do you mean _a__lready_?" Aria raised her eyebrows. "I swear a dozen lifetimes have passed since Ali disappeared. So much has happened since then."

They were silent for a moment, probably thinking back over it all. "But we only have a few more months," Spencer reminded them. "And we _will_ get through them."

"Have any of you ever thought that maybe our houses are bugged?" Emily asked, lowering her voice a little. "Do you think A is listening to us now?"

Spencer bit her lip. Of course she had thought about it. It was really the only logical answer to all of this that she could come up with. How else would A know _exactly_ what they were talking about?

Before anyone responded, the headlights of a car became distinctive out the window and shined through, covering Emily's walls. Spencer turned around to look out. It was Toby's tuck. He was back at his parents' place.

The other girls apparently noticed, too. Hanna scoffed, and turned away, pretending to be distracted by the work laid out in front of her but she clearly wasn't.

Emily let out a heavy sigh. "When are you going to stop treating him like the Toby that Alison had made up for us in our heads? Everything we think he's done has all been a lie. That _Alison_ created. He's a good guy. I'm not saying you have to hang out with him but if you could at least pretend like he _does_ exist, that would be great."

Aria shrugged "Look, it's not about him. It's just…he's got too much history with us; _bad_ history."

"Please. Too much? As in The Jenna Thing? He's over that."

Apparently, Aria was the only one tonight that wanted to argue with Emily. "That's great but it doesn't mean we have to be." Aria looked over at Spencer. Spencer was staying silent because she knew how much her friendship with Emily meant to her and didn't want to upset Emily. She had no idea why Hanna wasn't siding with Aria right now. Hanna was always up to share her opinion on Toby when brought up.

Aria and Emily kept arguing but their tones weren't so harsh. Hanna still had her nose in her books. They weren't quite sure yet if she really _was_ studying, or just listening. But Spencer was watching Toby from the window. He got out of his truck. There was nothing terrifying about him anymore. Spencer didn't feel like he would ever do those things Ali accused him of.

But then he walked inside the house. The house that Jenna still lived in. A shiver shot through Spencer's spine. Even if Toby never killed Alison, she was staying out of his way. His connection with Jenna was too strong. She couldn't risk that.

* * *

Monday morning, Spencer met up with Emily at The Brew. Emily was working right now, but the place was pretty dead. Spencer was talking to Emily as they waited for it to be time to head to school.

"Wait," Emily pulled out her phone and clicked on the calendar app. "We get off school next Friday, right?"

Spencer nodded as she tipped her coffee up to her lips. "Only two more weeks. Besides, things are starting to wind down now that midterms are over with so they should be bearable."

Emily looked past Spencer and smiled. "Hey, Toby!"

Spencer turned around. He was coming down the staircase that would lead to his loft. She turned back to Emily and rolled her eyes. Emily chose to ignore her.

Emily watched as Toby made his way over to them with uncertainty. Normally, the girls weren't with Emily when she worked right before school so she talked to Toby alone. He clearly didn't expect Spencer to be here. Emily was only glad it wasn't Aria or Hanna with her today. They would claw her eyes out.

Emily must've known Toby would be there, Spencer thought. She pulled out an already made cup of coffee and passed it to him. He took it, keeping eyes away from Spencer.

Toby fished for money out of this pocket. Emily reached out to touch his arm. "Please. You know I never take your money."

Toby gave her a few bills anyway. "Seriously, I can pay."

Emily bit her lip but took the money anyways. After doing that, the tension increased heavily. It became awkward. Spencer considered just leaving right then.

"So what were you doing at your parents' place?" Emily asked, trying to create somewhat of a more comfortable room. They didn't have to be in school for another forty minutes so they either had to stay here or go back home for a while.

Toby's face froze over. "They wanted me over. Said they hadn't seen me in a while."

"Well wasn't that the point?" Emily teased. Toby had opened up to Emily about needing his own space and how he was so grateful to never have to see Jenna again.

Toby nodded slightly and was immediately put back in uncomfortable silence. Emily tried to give Toby a knowing look without Spencer noticing. She had talked to him before about trying to make thing better with her friends. He should give an effort if they wouldn't. Toby didn't want to try, though. He was fine with them thinking whatever they wanted to about him.

But, not knowing if he had a choice, he turned his body to face Spencer. "How are you?"

Spencer almost choked on the coffee she was drinking. "How _am_ I? Since when are we friends?"

"Spencer," Emily snapped.

"We don't have to be friends to be friendly," he told her.

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "Why do we have to be friendly?"

Well, this wasn't how Emily wanted this to go. She tried to take the wheel before their conversation went over a cliff. "Spencer, when did you turn into Hanna? You could at least _try_ to be civil."

Spencer shrugged. "All I did was ask a question." Emily knew that she was testing her.

A man suddenly walked through the door, interrupting them. Spencer stepped aside so he could get in line to order. Spencer and Toby stood next to each other as they waited for Emily to get his coffee.

Emily looked at her watch when he was gone. "Actually, my shift is over. We can just drop by Hanna's before school. Bye Toby." She drug Spencer out of The Brew before Spencer could get a word out. Spencer was amused by their conversation but Emily clearly had a different opinion on the matter.

"Okay, will you relax?" Spencer asked as they settled into her car and buckled their seatbelts. "You're acting like I just robbed a bank."

"Spencer, when are you going to realize that he didn't do anything? Why are you still treating him like Alison did?"

"I don't see what the big deal is!"

Emily chuckled. "You know what? Forget it."

They drove to Hanna's in silence. Once getting there, they would talk to Hanna, but never to each other.

Toby's truck was the first thing Spencer saw once the three of them got to school. She almost felt bad for not giving him a chance. Neither Aria nor Hanna was there that morning; it probably wouldn't have hurt to try. She just didn't feel like giving him any chances.

He caught her staring from across the lot. He didn't look mad, he just smiled at her. Spencer's guard suddenly went up. She wished he wouldn't give her a chance. She didn't feel like she deserved any.

* * *

_A/N How many brownie points for not creating an Author's Note at the beginning? I'm proud of myself for waiting til the end._

_So I gather that most of the plot so far is quite obvious. I'm setting this in season 3-4ish time. This is my version of "what could've happened if Spencer hadn't volunteered to tutor Toby in season 1." In other words, this is how they could've also gotten together._

_Also, I won't be able to post for like a week because I'm going out of town but I wanted to post the first chapter and see where it goes from there. Like I said, this was pretty uneventful. I know it's pretty slow here but I've already written quite a few chapters for this. Eventually, I'll add more and more layers to it. This was just a background, I guess you could call it._

_Let me know what you think! :) Xx_


	2. Chapter 2

Russian History was Spencer's first class, which was also Toby's first class. Normally, it didn't both her. She went on about her day and they never crossed paths. In fact, it should be Russian History that would bother her more because the other class they had together – Chemistry – Emily and Aria were both in. Emily and Toby talked quite often in that class. But if Aria wasn't in that class with her, Spencer would've probably gone insane that day.

Spencer had briefly told Hanna what happened at The Brew. She wasn't expecting much of a response besides a smirk or a theoretical pat on the back, which was what Hanna gave her. Because Spencer didn't see Aria that day until lunch and decided then wouldn't be the time to tell, Aria was clueless.

Aria and Spencer were paired up Chem. Emily and Toby weren't partners but they sat fairly close to each other. Spencer tried to avoid eye contact with him all day.

It would pass, she was sure. Soon, the both of them would forget about their encounter at The Brew and he would just be Emily's friend. And the other girls would talk smack about him in front of Emily, while she would continue to persuade them to change their mind.

Needless to say, Toby was circling around in Spencer's thought all day. But, to be honest, when she thought back over that morning, she didn't see the big deal in it. It _shouldn't_ be going through her thoughts wildly, but it was.

It got to the point where, in Calculus, she wasn't even paying attention to her teacher. She was drawing circles in her notebook for most of the period. That was when she realized that she wasn't hung over the events from that morning, because that had left her thoughts long ago. Now, she was just thinking. Thinking about him. Thinking about Alison. Thinking about that summer and everything leading up to it.

Even though he was in her last class, she barely took note of his presence. Only his memory was haunting her brain. But what she didn't realize was that while she continued her thought process to go back over Toby, she was staring at the back of his head.

After class in the hallway when everyone was getting their bags together to go home, Spencer stopped by Emily's locker. "I left my jacket at The Brew this morning. Do you think you could get it for me later?"

Emily shook her head. "I'm not working there today. Besides, I have swim practice."

Spencer glanced out the window of their school. There was a light rain and it was freezing outside. The last thing she wanted to do was make another stop before going home. "It's fine. I can get it later. And anyway, I'm stopping by Aria's on my way home. She'll have something I'm sure." Spencer smirked. What _didn't_ Aria have in her wardrobe?

Biting her lip, Emily said, "I w_ould_ say Toby can save it for you, but I won't."

Spencer caught Aria's eye across the hallway. Spencer chose to ignore what Emily had said. "I gotta go."

* * *

The next day at school could not have gone worse for Spencer. There were a few kids that had to take their makeup exams in their Russian History classroom so they had to find a new room for the day. Because there weren't any empty classrooms, the class split up. Last names A-M went together, while N-Z went in another room.

So that left Spencer with Toby and only about nine other people. Even after school last night, he would just keep seeping his way back into her mind. It was getting irritating now.

Because there were only days left until they were off on break, the plan for their class today was going to be pretty basic. Spencer got her notes out for a small test they would be taking in a few days and started to go over them, even though she already knew everything on there.

She saw him walk up to her desk and sit down beside her but didn't say anything or show any signs that she knew he was there.

"Hi," he whispered, even though the room wasn't particularly quiet. People were talking amongst themselves.

Spencer looked up to see a hint of a smirk on his face. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from doing the same. Their eyes locked for a few more seconds before she turned back to her notes.

"I have your jacket," he added.

Spencer's head snapped up to look at him. He didn't have her jacket anywhere on him. She peeked at the floor beneath them. He was lying. She sighed. "What are you doing? Did Emily put you up to this?"

Toby's face suddenly became serious. "Why do I have to be told to be nice to you?"

"Then why now?"

Toby shrugged. "Why not now?"

Spencer didn't even know what to say. She just shook her head and looked back down to her notebook.

"Where is it?" she asked after a few moments of silence. She was still looking down.

"Mmm?" she seemed to have pulled him from his train of thought. "Oh. It's still at The Brew. I saw it as I was walking down."

"Why didn't you take it? You clearly knew it was mine." She didn't even care about the jacket anymore. She was just, oddly enough, looking for any excuse to talk to him.

"Because it's not mine to take," he said simply.

She pondered over that. "Are you testing me?"

He laughed. "No, just trying to make conversation. Did you want to talk about what you're going to do over the break instead?"

"I don't have plans."

Spencer didn't want to talk with him right now, but he didn't seem to take the hint.

"Spencer," he said. "I know you'd rather not talk to me right now, but I _am_ trying."

Spencer looked back up into his eyes. Were they always that blue? She had never noticed before, but now she couldn't pry her eyes away. "I can be stubborn. You don't have to talk to me." This time, when she spoke to him, it _wasn't_ as a hint to leave her alone.

"Maybe I don't. But from what Emily tells me, maybe I should try and get to know you more." Spencer shivered at his soft tone. He wasn't teasing; he was just genuinely stating his words.

There could not have been a worse time for the bell to ring. Neither of them moved at first but once they were the only two left in the classroom, Spencer peeled her eyes away from him and gathered up her things, leaving Toby alone in the room with a satisfied smile across his face.

* * *

Spencer needed to talk to somebody. Emily was definitely out of the question because she could spill to Toby. Even if she didn't spill, Spencer wasn't sure if she should trust her. Besides, she didn't want _advice_, which is something she would get, seeing that Emily and Toby were friends. Hanna was out, too. Hanna was vicious about Toby. And Spencer didn't want to get stuck with the cannon she would blow, depending on how Hanna would feel. That's just too risky. The only one left was Aria but there was the same issue as Hanna there. After weighing her options, she finally settled on Aria. It was all she had.

Once arriving to class with Aria, Spencer immediately looked for Toby. He hadn't arrived yet. Spencer took deep breaths, trying to calm herself. God, what was getting into her?

Once Toby walked in, his gaze landed on hers. His eyes slid over to Aria and he looked away. She didn't blame him, though. Aria wasn't exactly Team Toby, and they both knew that.

For the rest of the day, Spencer and Toby never made eye contact. Spencer had to take Aria home, giving her the perfect opportunity.

"Actually, do you mind if I come in?" Spencer asked as Aria was about to shut the passenger side door. They were in the Montgomery driveway right now.

"Of course," Aria smiled at her.

They made their way into Aria's bedroom. Spencer sat on the window seat, Aria taking a spot on her bed.

Spencer decided to start with the facts, and work her way up to what was behind it all. "So today, Toby tried to talk with me."

Aria's ears perked up at the sound of Toby's name and she raised her eyebrows. "Oh?"

"Yeah…" Spencer sighed. "He was being oddly nice. And I think it was because of what happened yesterday…" Spencer stopped. Aria didn't know about what happened at The Brew. Quickly, she summarized over that morning. "So, anyway, do you think maybe it _is_ just Emily asking him to become friendly?"

Aria tucked her knees into her chest. "Does it really seem like something Emily would do? Besides, he's probably just trying to get under your skin."

Spencer bit her lip. This wasn't what she wanted to talk about. "Okay, so, what if…" she sighed. "I don't know. He's been…kind of, invading my thoughts recently and he's just so _different_ that what we thought before. I just don't know what he wants, or...or what I want."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Spencer." Spencer's words had come out in a rush, and Aria let out a laugh. "I mean, you're _serious_?"

"What? About what?"

Aria sighed. "Don't play dumb. Do you need me to spell it out for you? You like Toby."

The words hit Spencer pretty hard. She knew, deep down, that's where she was coming from with this conversation but to hear the words being said out loud…it almost made her doubt it. The words were too…_unnatural_. Toby? The boy Spencer had hated for as long as she could remember, even two short days ago she wouldn't have thought she would be talking to someone like this.

Spencer cleared her throat. "No, it's just…different. He's different." The last part came out without her meaning to. Spencer pursed her lips together, wishing to take it back.

Realization hit Aria. She bit her lip. "Aw, Spence. Come on, you don't have to hide. Look, I know you think I might get angry but I'm not. And maybe they're just butterflies. You'll get over him eventually. I'm sorry if you think me or Hanna would ever…"

Spencer shook her head softly. "It's not that." She looked down. "What if I don't _want_ this to happen? It's _Toby_, for God's sake."

Aria slid off the bed to sit by Spencer. "You telling me this isn't just going to flip a switch and make me very fond of him." Spencer gave her a look. "But maybe you should talk to Emily."

Spencer leaned back. "I don't _want_ to talk to Emily. I _trust_ you. If this ever goes away, I know you won't hound me, which is something she might do. And don't you think the idea of me and Toby has crossed her mind at some point? You and Hanna already have a boyfriend, so I'd be the only one left."

It took Aria a moment to respond. "Okay, you don't have to talk to her. Talk to me. I'll try to keep a positive attitude about this. It can be our secret," Aria smirked at her.

Spencer groaned. "I swear this better not last long."

"Well do you want it to?"

Spencer looked up at Aria. Did she?

* * *

_A/N I'm back! It won't usually take me this long to update, but thank you so much for all of the positive feedback! This chapter didn't have much in it. But things will soon start to pick up._

_Btw, PLL comes back on in two days! Who else is going to watch Ravenswoood? I figure if they're tearing apart Haleb, you may as well see where they're going with it. I'm pretty excited for the Halloween episode._

_Thank you for the reviews/follows/favorites. (Sorry again for the lack of drama in this one...and lack of fluff...oops) Xx_


	3. Chapter 3

Normally, Spencer and the girls all drove their own car. But lately, they had just been giving rides to each other. Sometimes, Spencer would take them all, sometimes she would take one other while another had their own. But that Friday was different. Hanna's was having problems and she didn't want to take it out in the snow. And Spencer's was in the shop. Because Hanna and Aria lived near each other, they drove together. Emily and Spencer were in Emily's car that morning. She hadn't talked to her about Toby. She hadn't even talked to Aria any more about it.

"Oh, crap," Emily suddenly realized.

Spencer peered out the window to see if anything had happened. "What is it?"

"I have practice after school." She bit her lip and then shrugged. "You can just catch a ride with Aria."

"Wait. You have practice one week before school lets out?" They must really be pushing them.

Emily leaned back in her seat. "Not so much _practice_. It's this end of the semester thing. We do games in the water, competitions, you know? It's just supposed to be this party, I guess?" Emily blew air from her lips. "But it's not fun. Now when you have a whole team of competitive swimmers, cheating or trying to make you feel small before it even started." She rolled her eyes. "But I can't skip it. We also give out awards to all the players, just really cheesy stuff."

Spencer nodded as they pulled into the school's parking lot. As she had been this past week, she checked for Toby's truck. He wasn't here yet.

By the time lunch rolled around, Spencer was already about to fall asleep. The only thing getting her through would be the four cups of coffee she had earlier that day. She was too tired to eat anything.

"We need to go Christmas shopping," Hanna declared once they all took their seats in the lunch room.

Aria nodded. "Definitely. What about tonight?"

Emily rolled an orange around on her palm. "That's fine. Spencer?"

"Hm?" Spencer snapped back into focus and tried to think of what they had just said. "Oh, yeah. That's fine. But, to be honest, I don't have many people to shop for. Besides you guys."

Hanna grinned. "Then we can just have a normal shopping trip. Celebrate the end of the semester."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Since when do you need an occasion to break the bank?"

"Okay, I do not spend _that_ much," Hanna defended.

Spencer nodded. "No, you don't. You spend _our_ money once you've bought too much."

Hanna jabbed at some fruit with her fork. "You want me to stop?"

Aria laughed. "Han, maybe you should get a job…"

Hanna dropped her fork. "A _job_? No way. I've been there, done that."

Spencer rolled her eyes. "That didn't count; you weren't even getting paid. Besides, you didn't _choose_ to be a dental assistant. Maybe you can find something, I don't know, _enjoyable_?"

Hanna crinkled her nose. "Why should I get a job when I am fine just coming home after school, watching Gossip Girl? I don't need any more priorities right now."

"And _that_," Spencer said, "is why I'm not getting you a goldfish for Christmas."

* * *

Spencer threw her textbook down on her desk with a loud _plunk_, causing people to glance her way irritably. She bit her lip. "Oops."

Aria, who was sitting right next to her, laughed. "Why do you even have that? Mrs. Collins told us we didn't need our books for the rest of the semester."

"Really?" Spencer sighed. This was her last class until the weekend. And then she could relax. Honestly, the fact that it was Friday was the only thing keeping her going. She had gotten _almost_ two hours of sleep last night. It should be backwards, considering she didn't have homework for the first time in a long time but sleep just wouldn't get to her. In result of no sleep, she had a massive headache that wouldn't go away. She almost wanted to cancel on the mall trip tonight and go tomorrow instead.

The bell hadn't rung yet, and Spencer still had two minutes until class started. Sighing, she picked up the book and walked towards the stack of them, right by the doorway.

Clumsy Spencer just had to make a few more mistakes today like the world depended on it. Once she had set the book back on the shelf, she ran into somebody so hard, she stumbled backwards a bit.

"Excuse you," Spencer didn't even feel like apologizing.

When she looked up, she saw Toby hoisting his bag up higher on his shoulder. Spencer froze for a second. Of course _he_ would be the _one_ person she was _bound_ to run into.

"Sorry," he muttered. She realized her pissed off attitude might be sending mixed signals.

Spencer, unsure of what to do, returned back to her seat where she saw Aria had seen the whole thing. Spencer groaned. Aria, who wasn't entirely _thrilled_ by Spencer's new interest, rolled her eyes at Spencer.

"It still hasn't passed, has it?" Aria asked. Spencer caught irritation over a light tone.

Spencer was wrong. Even the fact that school was out in a mere hour wouldn't be enough to get her through. Maybe she should go home sick.

"I would appreciate it if you stayed out of my love life," Spencer snapped.

"_Love_ life? Since when are you entitled to make a wittle crush sound so dramatic?"

Yeah. Aria was _so_ not helping. She never should've told her in the first place.

Emily walked in the door and shot them a smile. Her previous class had been out of the way and it always took her a while to get here. They never had much time for conversation. But today, Emily turned around on her seat to look at them. Spencer knew they didn't have much time before the bell rang.

"Crush?" Emily asked. Great. She overheard.

"Not so loud," Spencer hissed before she could think. Toby wasn't _that_ close and there were other students talking but she didn't want to take any chances. But she regretted the words immediately. Now, Emily raised her eyebrows, intrigued.

Thankfully, the bell rang. Relief flooded over Spencer because naturally, their teacher usually wanted to start class right when it began. She didn't waste much time. Emily turned around on her seat and shot Spencer a look that said they'll talk later. Spencer was pretty much over it, though. There were a million ways she could lie and make up some guy that "doesn't go to our school."

Spencer realized, once the final bell rang, that she forgot to tell Aria she needed her to take her home since Emily had swim practice. Aria was out of sight as soon as the door opened. Spencer thought she would catch her at her locker but she wasn't there. Hanna wasn't posted at her locker, either.

Had they left? That would actually make perfect sense considering what a wonderful day Spencer was having already.

Then she spotted Caleb. "Caleb, hey. Do you know where Hanna went?"

He nodded. "She ditched final period. Aria just went straight to her car and they left together."

Had the universe just turned against her? Now she didn't even have a ride to get home.

"Thanks," she mumbled. She went out towards the parking lot and started to call Aria. No answer. Same went with Hanna; she wasn't picking up.

Spencer sat on the bench. The parking lot was emptying quickly; people just wanted to be done with the week already.

"Spencer?"

She whirled around. It was Toby. She cleared her throat. "Hey."

He looked back towards the parking lot. "Did you need a ride?"

"Um," she looked around. Her house would be out of the way for him. "No. I was just gonna wait until Emily finishes up."

Toby chuckled. "I've been to practice with her; it's not too exciting.

Spencer kicked the toe of her boot with the other, looking down. She waited so he could leave. Maybe she _should_ just go in and watch Emily. She had before. Toby was right, it wasn't the most exciting thing ever, but it beat sitting out here in the cold.

"Seriously, it's no problem. I don't think you want to be waiting for her to finish," he added.

Spencer looked up. "No, I'm sure you…" she was about to suggest he probably had plans but knew better. "Okay," she finally said.

After they settled into the car and he turned out of the parking lot, she pointed straight ahead. "So if you turn left up here, you just keep going for about –"

"Spencer," he cut her off and gave her a knowing look. "I know where you live."

She slumped back in her seat. Spencer's house was very big and showy. She was pretty sure everyone knew where it was. And, besides, it was right next door to Alison – whose body was discovered in the backyard. She knew that because Toby and she were both roped into the Alison investigation, he'd probably know where her house was.

He cleared his throat and tried to start a conversation with the simple questions. "How've you been?"

Spencer stared down at her clasped hands. It took her a minute to decide on her answer. "I've been worse."

"Well that's…" he tried to search for a word. "Good," he finished lamely. "I guess."

Spencer cracked a smile. Toby noticed it but he also saw she was still looking down. "Where's your holiday spirit?"

Spencer looked at him. "_Mine_? I doubt you've even have a Christmas tree."

Toby shrugged. "If I could afford one, I would. It's not like I can go to a five-star restaurant every week."

But she could.

That was one of the differences between the two of them. She never felt guilty about maybe every once in a while overspending slightly on something. She also didn't like to always spend so much, though. Her parents were good with money, and had high paying jobs. Toby had to fend for himself.

She tried to steer away from that subject. "Actually, we bought a plastic tree this year." Spencer shrugged. "It's not the same. I don't smell the pine needles when I walk in the room. My parents and I don't take turn watering it anymore. There's less of a mess with the one we have now but that's just one of those small memories you don't want to lose." She gazed at him for a brief moment before sucking in her breath. "Sorry." She almost forgot who she was talking to. Of course, she knew it was Toby. But she forgot she was talking to the same Toby they had once accused of being a murderer. This was a different Toby – and not just because he got a haircut. He had grown up. Spencer knew it was from the experience but she wanted to thank Emily for it, too. Emily only saw the good in Toby – she saw the good in everybody.

He glanced at her curiously. "For what?"

He pulled into her driveway but she didn't get out.

Spencer didn't want to touch the subject. But, to answer his question honestly, she would have to. "Here I am, going on about how memories are everything…" she didn't want to finish.

But Toby knew. He also knew that he might not have had the ideal holiday experience but didn't mind when people talked about their own. His life was screwed up ever since his mom died and it was just something you have to accept.

She didn't give him much time to respond before pretending she had to be in the house _now_. "I've gotta go." And she grabbed her things, opened the door and walked out into the cold. She never heard his truck leave the driveway, so he must've done so once she got inside.

She tried to busy herself with homework. But she didn't have much and it was pretty basic since it was the end of the semester. She ending up taking a nap until the vibration of her phone woke her.

It was a little after six. Hanna was calling.

"Hello?" Spencer's voice was raspy from her nap. She went down to get a glass of water.

"Hey! You need a ride, don't you? Aria can pick you up. Em wants to leave pretty soon."

She doubted it was _Emily_ that wanted to leave now. Hanna was getting antsy. The mall _was_ closing in three hours. "Actually, now is fine."

She dumped her water back in the sink and headed back upstairs to grab her boots and a jacket.

"Great because we're sitting in your driveway now."

Spencer laughed. "You guys can come in."

"No. We're leaving now. Hurry up," Hanna clicked off. Spencer blew air from her lips. Don't mess with one of Hanna's shopping trips. But, of course, she had learned this a long time ago – the hard way.

She ran outside – where it was slightly drizzling. Spencer wouldn't be surprised if it snowed again tonight.

She got in the backseat with Emily. Aria was driving, with Hanna in the passenger seat.

"Why did you leave so early after school?" Spencer asked, shoving her arms through the sleeves of her jacket as Aria backed out.

Aria met Spencer's eyes in the rearview mirror. "Me? You never asked for a ride. How was I supposed to know?"

"Wait," Emily said. "How did you get home?"

Uh oh. "It's not that far to walk," Spencer commented easily, managing to dodge the question with a half-lie.

Hanna raised her eyebrows. "In this weather? Why didn't you just wait for Emily to get done?"

"I was tired." Another half-lie.

They seemed to have dropped it but that didn't make their conversation get even worse. After a couple of minutes, Emily spoke up. "Who was Aria talking about in class today?"

Spencer had forgotten about Emily overhearing her and Aria's conversation about Toby.

She met Aria's eyes in the mirror. She prayed Aria wouldn't say anything but something clicked in her head. "Is _that_ who gave you a ride home?"

"Who? Why am I just now finding out about this? Spencer, are you still single? What aren't you telling me?" Hanna was hurling questions at the two of them at top speed.

"Why did you tell Aria and not Hanna and I?" Emily asked, sounding slightly shocked.

Spencer pressed her lips together. Looking pointedly at Hanna, she said, "I didn't want you to freak out."

If Hanna was irritated or hurt that Spencer hadn't told her before, she was over it now. Hanna let out a small squeal. "Is Spencer Hastings is _finally_ ready to soul search?"

"What? Hanna. _No_."

"Wait," Emily held up a finger. Spencer and Hanna turned to look at her. Aria glanced back for a second but kept her eyes on the road. "It's somebody in our class, isn't it?" Emily looked up at the roof, trying to think of the guys in there that Spencer might be interested in. Suddenly, her mouth formed an _O_ and Spencer bored her eyes onto her, trying to see if she had guessed it.

After a minute, Emily's face composed into a relaxed expression. Emily met Spencer's eyes. "I knew it," she sing-songed.

"Oh, for the love of something finally interesting happening in Spencer's life, will somebody _please_ tell me who it is?" Hanna demanded. She was definitely growing impatient.

Spencer saw Aria and Emily exchange a smirk. Great. This was awesome. So Emily _did_ know?

Aria pulled into the parking lot to the mall. Spencer guessed she only had a few more minutes of stalling before they would be inside and Hanna would be distracted by the new pair of Chloe boots that had just came out or want to stop to get a drink from Starbucks and it would leave Hanna's mind. That was all she hoped for.

* * *

_A/N Thank you all so much who love this story, it really means a lot :) More Spoby interactions coming soon... ;) Xx_


	4. Chapter 4

Just as Spencer thought, Hanna didn't let it go. She was still desperate to know who had caught Spencer's attention. Now, they were inside Nordstrom looking at some winter scarves. They had been here twenty minutes and Hanna already had a bag full of clothes. She never tried things on – she just knows if it'll work. Spencer had to admit, she wished she could do that. It would save a lot of time.

"Is he cute?" Hanna asked nonchalantly as she fingered a wool infinity scarf, chai tea latte in her other hand.

"Hm?" Aria asked. They were all pretty close to each other but looking at different things. Aria hadn't even realized Hanna's question wasn't directed towards her.

Hanna sighed. "Spencer. Will you _please_ just tell me? This isn't even fair." Spencer made the mistake of looking at Hanna. She was in full puppy dog eyes mode.

"You know that doesn't work on me."

Hanna grinned. "I know." She turned to Aria. "Aria, will you _please_ tell me? It's not fair."

Ugh. Hanna really knew them. Spencer bit the inside of her cheek, praying Aria wouldn't say.

Aria immediately looked away from Hanna and shielded her face with her purse. "Hanna," she warned.

Hanna gave up with that. "Why won't you tell me? Are you embarrassed?" She paused. "It's not Nate Downing, right?" Nate was easily the most disgusting person in their class.

Spencer set down the wallet she was looking at. "You wanna know why I won't tell you? Because you'll get angry."

Hanna's eyes softened. She was about to say something but then her face froze over again. "It's not Caleb, is it?"

At that, Spencer had to laugh. "You are unbelievable."

"Guys. Guys. _Guys_." For each word, Aria swatted them all on the shoulder. Aria pointed straight ahead. There was a bright red sign. _Marc Jacobs Sandals: 85% off_.

They must be trying to get rid of the summer sandals. But _85%_?! That was the best deal they've ever seen. Hanna was completely in shock. Spencer giggled and pulled on her arm as they made their way over to the sale.

* * *

"Toby Cavanaugh?" Hanna raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow.

Spencer furrowed her brows. "What?"

The four girls had all stayed over at Hanna's that night. Spencer, the first to wake up, went down to get some coffee. She hadn't heard Hanna come downstairs.

"You know _what_ and so do I. Out with it."

Spencer set her coffee cup down. "He drove me home. What's the big deal?"

Hanna took a seat next to Spencer at her dining table. "No. That's not all. _What's going on_?"

Spencer sighed. "I'm sorry I told Aria but not you. But I just don't think this needs to be a big deal. Up until after school yesterday, we had barely spoken to each other. I _never_ told Aria I liked him."

Hanna still looked lost. "But…you _do_."

If Spencer were being completely honest, she would say no. Sure, there were mixed feelings but they weren't so strong. "I don't," she spoke firmly. "But even if I did, I wouldn't tell you. Wait. How did you find out, anyway?"

Hanna's mouth turned up, smirking. "I read your texts to Aria. By the way, 'Emily's friend' is not a good code word."

Spencer patted her hips. She could've sworn she took her phone down with her. "You read my texts?"

Hanna turned up her palms. "In my defense, your birthday isn't a good password, either. Don't you see what you can learn from me?"

"I can learn _what_ from you? How to be a supportive best friend? Because last I checked, you _still_ hate Toby and you're making it very clear."

"No. I don't hate him anymore. I just…would rather not cross paths with him. And I thought we were on the same page about him."

Spencer resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Things change."

Hanna and Spencer sat in silence for a few moments. The blonde was the first to speak. "What do you want me to do? Hang out with him over lunch or invite him over for a study sesh. You do those things with your _friends_. He's not."

Spencer wrapped her hands around her coffee mug. "I'm not _asking_ you to. You don't even have to talk to him. Just be a little less spiteful." Spencer shrugged. "Like we should've been doing this whole time. He's Emily's friend, too."

"I'll try," she mumbled, not meeting her gaze.

Spencer narrowed her eyes. She had hoped that nothing would come out of Toby – the last thing she wanted was to tell Hanna. But now, they all knew. She didn't even know what exactly what it was. Were she and Toby even friends? Just acquaintances? What do he see her as?

* * *

The weekend seemed to drag on. It was miserably cold outside and Spencer saw to it that she only got out of the house when necessary – but that grew to get very boring very quickly. Her parents were out for the most part and all she had was her phone to rest assure she wasn't the only one left on the planet.

The only exciting thing happening was that her car was ready on Sunday. She could take it back home from the shop. She would finally have a ride for this last week of school. After picking it up, Spencer stopped by The Brew. She needed something hot down her throat.

She let her eyes slide across the room, looking to see if _he_ was sitting at a table, reading the newspaper or talking with some friends over a cup of coffee. But…did he have many friends? The only person she ever saw him talk to was Emily.

Spencer rubbed her hands together as she waited in line, trying to keep warm. Frequently, her gaze roamed the staircase leading to his loft but she didn't want to look like she had a twitch, so she only checked a few times.

"Hi. Can I get a coffee?" she asked. The woman working the counter nodded and turned to get her order. Spencer recognized her from the many times she had been there. Two of the baristas even memorized exactly what she orders.

"Spencer?"

Spencer whirled around, though she knew it was him. Turning back to the counter briefly, she was handed her drink and dropped a few bills in the waitress's hand before looking back to Toby.

"So," she started. "What brings you down…here?"

He lives here. Stupid question. Spencer cleared her throat like maybe that would somehow distract him from what she just said.

A hint of a smirk formed around Toby's mouth. "You, actually." Toby held his arms out and what he had in his hands made Spencer laugh out loud. It was her jacket. She had forgotten all about that. She left it here almost a week ago.

"I saw you park. I actually have to go but wanted to drop this by first."

Spencer eyed the jacket before taking it. "So…you took it upstairs with you instead of leaving it in the lost and found?" Spencer waited for his reaction before continuing. "You only did that as an excuse to see me, right?"

She even surprised herself by being so direct towards him.

Toby looked a little flustered. He didn't know how to answer her first question and sure as hell didn't know how to respond to her later remark.

After a moment, she grinned. "I'm kidding."

Toby still stood there, unsure of what to say. The fact that she was right – that he did only take it as an excuse – was plenty reason for him to be uncomfortable.

Spencer cleared her throat again. "So, um, where are you going?"

Toby barely remembered telling her he was on his way to do something, which was another lie. He didn't want to seem like he came down here just to return her jacket. "I just have to make a quick grocery run."

Spencer nodded. "Yeah, I've gotta…get back."

She had nothing to get back to. Truth was, the two of them were probably making this more difficult than needed to be.

After a few more moments of silence, she smiled at him and left The Brew. Toby watched her leave until going back upstairs, completely forgetting about his "grocery run".

* * *

"Are you going to eat that?" Hanna pointed to Spencer's untouched cookie.

Spencer pushed her tray towards the blonde. "Go for it."

Hanna reached out for the cookie and split it in two. Taking a bite out of one half, she began to speak with food in her mouth. "Aria, I left some of my earrings at your house. I need them back."

Aria looked skeptical. "What earrings?"

Hanna sighed. "The gold hoops. Big enough to fit a basketball through them. Ringing any bells?" Hanna put her food down. "You stole them, didn't you?"

Spencer tried to hide a smirk. Sometimes, Hanna could be impossible. She and Emily got up throw their tray away while Aria and Hanna started a squabble.

"Wait, Spencer." Emily grabbed her arm and they stopped moving. Emily set her tray down on the table closest to them and Spencer soon mimicked her.

"What is it?"

Emily tucked a lock of hair behind her ears. "I haven't told the other girls yet but…" Emily looked away. "Paige and I broke up."

Spencer touched Emily's shoulder. "Em…"

Emily looked down. "I don't know what I'm feeling right now."

Spencer tried to sympathize with her but didn't really know how. She had never been in a relationship too serious. But both Hanna and Aria have had their hearts broken before.

"You don't have to talk about it," Spencer spoke gently.

When Emily looked up, she looked stronger than Spencer would've imagined. Sure, the smile she gave was watery but her eyes were still dry.

From across the room, Spencer caught Toby's eye. Emily was facing away from him so only Spencer saw him approach. He was probably wondering why Emily looked so upset.

Spencer's hand slipped off Emily's shoulder once he got close enough. "Emily?"

Emily turned around. Instead of explaining like he expected, her expression grew cold. "I'm fine." She turned and walked away.

"Emily," a confused Spencer called after her. They watched as she went past Hanna and Aria and around the corner, probably to her next class – which starts in five minutes.

Spencer eventually turned back around and was surprised when Toby was still there. "I don't…what just happened?" he asked.

Spencer shook her head. "You should probably ask her. But she's Emily; she'll be fine."

Toby smiled. "So how are you?"

Spencer licked her lips, remembering the last time he asked her that. She laughed softly.

"You don't have to answer that, depending on whether or not we're _friends_," he told her. Spencer winced at the memory. It was only a week ago but things have changed since then.

"Actually, now that we're on the subject, I was wrong, and rude," Spencer admitted. She hated being wrong, and hated even more what she had to address it. "And didn't _want_ to listen to Emily when she talked about you." Spencer sighed. "Did you want to do something after school later?" she asked, like maybe that would make up for it.

Toby grinned easily. "Yeah, I would."

* * *

_A/N So basically, the next chapter is going to be 100% Spoby. I'm kinda spoiling myself by doing this but there was too much fluff opportunity...I couldn't_ not_ do it. I've also decided that I'm going to try and connect with you guys as well, by replying to *some* of your reviews. (Meaning, replying through PMs.)_

_I also want to add that I'm currently writing Chapter 11, so I'm pretty well ahead. I kind of already know where I'm taking it._

_And now, about this chapter, there will be an explanation that ties into the Paily breakup. I'm not just randomly doing this, so I hope I'm not breaking any Paily hearts out there._

_Thank you so much for your kind words and compliments :) They mean so much to me. If you also write on this site, you probably know that publishing a story can be intimidating. I find myself worrying about something I've already published a while ago all the time. I don't think anybody can be completely comfortable with sharing to the public, so that's why reviews mean a lot. Writers on here don't push you to review because they want a lot, they just want to know that people _really_ enjoy it - that's for me, anyways. Xx_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N_ _So this is the longest chapter I've ever written…and its like 95% Spoby. (Sorry, I lied in the last chapter saying it was 100%. I forgot. Whoops) I can't believe I just wrote so much over this. I just honestly can't help it, though. Try as I might, I can't stop the fluff. _

_And, to clarify, yes, I am going somewhere with the Paige/Emily breakup (not that you guys were asking). It also affects Spoby later on so I'm not just throwing it in there because I wanted to. If you ship Paily, I'm sorry. But, there might be hope. My goal with this here is to add layers in the story. I respect all shippers and would never want to break someone up that you ship, but this _is_ a Spoby story._

_Anyways, I really think you'll like this chapter ;) The next chapter (Chapter 6) is like 85% Spoby. Clearly, I have a serious problem. If you like a story with complications and such, I promise you, we're getting there. First, we've gotta get through about 13 pages of fluff in Word…Oops._

_Before we jump in, I feel the need to point out that I am writing some serious NON-fluff right now in Chapter 12 (yeah, I'm that much ahead)…It'll take a while, but we're getting there. I just don't want you to believe I'm all about the fluff – that's just a bonus. So, with my insanely long Author's Note out of the way (because we need a reason to make this chapter even _longer_), let's get started (;_

* * *

Hesitantly, Spencer knocked on the door to Toby's loft. School had let out a couple of hours earlier and Toby told her to meet her here. The door swung open, and she smiled at him.

"Can I come in?" she asked.

Smirking, Toby shook his head. "We're not staying here."

She didn't really want to go anywhere based off the weather. "We're going out? Toby, it's freezing outside."

He rolled his eyes. "Are you always this whiney?"

Spencer pursed her lips together. "Fine." She paused. "As long as we don't _stay_ outside."

She moved aside so he could join her in the narrow hallway. He shrugged as he locked the door. "We can do whatever you want."

* * *

Spencer wasn't sure about what to do at first but now, they were headed into the city for something to eat. Sure, it was pretty far _just_ for dinner but she hadn't been out much recently. And he didn't seem to mind, either. By the time they got there, it would be around 6, which was late enough to eat. Spencer didn't want to stay out too long because it was only Tuesday – they had school the next day.

On the train ride there, Spencer caught Toby throwing continuous glances towards her. She tried to ignore it until she was sure she might start blushing. "What is it?"

Toby felt caught for a moment. "Nothing it's just…" Toby paused, and seemed to hop onto another thought. "Why did you ask to hang out with me today?"

Spencer clasped her hands in her lap. She wasn't entirely sure what he meant. "You mean…"

"Well," Toby tried to finish her sentence, "you hated me a few days ago and now…"

She frowned slightly. "I don't think I _hated_ you. I was just…cautious around you."

"As friends?"

Spencer tried not to think about what he _also_ could've implied. "Aren't we?"

Toby leaned back in his seat slightly. "Yeah," he said. "So, to make it official, should we make a secret handshake?" he teased.

Spencer nudged his arm. Any more conversation was cut off by the halt of the train. It was their stop. Spencer and Toby both got off the train. Grey clouds were hovering over them; it was already raining lightly.

"So where did you want to go?" Toby asked.

She brought her arms up to her chest and crossed them, trying to stay warm. "Anywhere, as long as we don't walk it."

Toby shook his head and Spencer showed a slight grin. They walked to the edge of the street to see if they could wave down a flag but Spencer stumbled on her boot. She let out a small yelp before he caught her by the elbow. He didn't even release right away. He only let go when Spencer realized what just happened. She let out an embarrassed laugh.

"Sorry…" she apologized when they started on their way again.

He searched her eyes. "For what?"

"I –" Spencer didn't finish what she was saying because her boot betrayed her again. It happened too fast for him to catch it and she never fell. She made a note to herself to throw the shoes out later.

Her face grew red but Toby just chuckled. "Do I need to carry you?"

Spencer didn't even try to reply, afraid of her voice cracking.

They managed to catch a cab. Spencer had let Toby chose where they were going to eat. It was a pretty small place. It's called _Philly's_ – and it had sandwiches, for the most part. Spencer didn't mid his pick much, mostly because she wasn't extremely hungry.

When the cab got there, Toby opened the door for Spencer. Then, he gave her a look. She thought he would sit in the passenger's seat, but that wasn't what the look he gave her was for. Spencer moved over, assuming it was because he was going to sit with her, which he did.

Briefly, she looked down at their hands. They weren't touching, but pretty close. She noticed something else. Nodding to his left hand, she asked, "What's that?" There was a small scar running down the side of his thumb.

Toby looked down at what she was referring to and a sheepish expression crossed his face. "I slipped on some ice when I was little. I had to get six stitches. I also broke my arm from the accident."

Spencer smirked. "I didn't know how clumsy you were."

He rolled his eyes. "Says the girl who just tripped over the sidewalk – _twice_."

She laughed. "I didn't fall."

"Because I caught you," he pointed out.

All Spencer did was smile. "Good," she said, nodding. "Because I always fall."

The cab pulled into the parking lot, saving Toby from saying anything he might regret like; _I'll always be there to catch you_ or some other cheesy line from a movie. He reminded himself that they were only here as friends.

Toby got out of the car, waiting for Spencer to join him once she paid the man. She climbed out and they went inside. The air was warm but it felt good compared to the temperature outside.

They ordered first. Spencer grabbed his arm when he reached for his wallet. "I've got this."

Toby shook his head. He didn't want to have an argument in front of the cashier, with people waiting behind them so he handed him a few bills.

"You paid for transportation. Besides, this place isn't _that_ expensive," he told her after sliding into a booth.

"But it was my idea to do something," she protested.

Toby hinted a smirk across his lips. "I don't think there's ever been a first date in history where people _don't _fight over this." It was too late for Toby to take back what he said. "I-I just mean _any_ kind of…dinner between two people."

That wasn't going to stop Spencer from teasing him. "So you think this is a date?"

Toby knew she was only messing with him. "Don't you?"

But his question flipped tables and put her under the pressure she had just put him in. Spencer shrugged. "Dinner…what else would you call it?"

"Was there a reason you wanted to go all the way out here for _dinner_? It _is_ a school night," he teased.

Spencer rolled her eyes. "It's not even that late. And what's wrong with going out? I don't remember the last time I've went into the city for fun."

"I do," Toby said. "I was with my mom."

All Spencer knew was that him mom had either left Toby and his father, or she had passed away. She only knew that much because Jenna and Toby were step siblings, so him mom was clearly out of the picture. Based off Toby's expression, she assumed the latter option.

"I didn't know," Spencer said softly.

The last thing Toby wanted was pity from Spencer. "How could you? Honestly, it's fine."

Spencer put a hand on top of Toby's. She was about to speak but something about the way he looked at her made her stop. Words weren't needed. Spencer felt like she could read him clearly.

* * *

"Spencer isn't picking her phone up," Emily groaned in frustration. The three girls were having coffee at The Brew – Emily was on break.

"She's probably studying or something," Hanna said. "And do you want to tell us why you were so upset earlier?" She asked, referring to lunch.

Emily stopped tapping on her phone but otherwise never looked up. She thought back over the break up. It was so messy. Emily winced, remembering it. When she spoke, her voice was softer. "No. I need Spencer here."

"But…you already told her," Aria pointed out. Spencer had said Emily was upset over something, but didn't say what it was.

"Not all of it." Emily dialed her number again but Aria snatched it from her hand.

"I know where she is, and she's not going to answer you."

Emily finally looked at them. "You do? Where?"

"Philadelphia. With Toby," Aria smirked.

Emily turned to look at the staircase above them. "But Toby's up there…"

Aria shook her head. "Have you _seen_ him? No, because he's with Spencer," she explained.

While Emily was trying to figure out how she didn't know he wasn't in the loft, Hanna was trying to sort through all the problems she had with this. "How do you know? And _why_ is she with Toby?" Hanna was angry Spencer was there in the first place, but mostly upset Spencer told Aria and not her and Emily.

"Spencer texted him in Chem; I looked before she could catch me."

"Wait," Emily said. "So she doesn't know you know?"

Aria shook her head. A plan was forming in Hanna's head as she smiled. "We could use this."

* * *

"Why don't we just _walk_ back to the train station?" Toby suggested.

They had just went outside, Spencer was about to call a cab. She eyed the roads. "I don't know…"

"It's not that far. Besides, the rain stopped."

By a rush of impulse, Spencer gave in. She had a jacket on, but wasn't sure if it would be enough. "Fine." Toby grinned, and they were on their way. By the time they made it to the end of the block, Spencer was freezing.

"Whose genius idea was it to walk, again?" she asked sarcastically.

Toby laughed and started shrugging off his jacket. She knew she should've at least _tried_ to protest but didn't really care; she took the jacket gratefully.

"So what's your family like?" Toby asked out of the blue.

"I wouldn't know," Spencer said. She looked down at her feet and counted the cracks in the sidewalk. "They're never around."

Toby suddenly realized how similar they really were. They both came from families who couldn't give a damn about them – Toby's parents still thought he caused the fire. They've never known what it was like to have a real family.

Without really even noticing, Spencer would occasionally bump into Toby. His body heat was helping more than any jacket would ever be able to. Once she realized how close they were, she didn't pull away. Their hands would graze each other's for a second but one of them would pull away. Eventually, Toby grabbed hers and they laced their fingers together. Energy pulsed up Spencer's arm. It warmed her up. Spencer didn't doubt it was because of his touch.

Spencer took advantage of their hands and moved even closer towards him, twisting their arms together. She snuck a peek at him. He looked down at her and smiled. Spencer didn't want to push it any further so they stayed like that.

All of a sudden, something pulled on her arm. It was Toby. She had started to cross the street but he stopped her. He lifted their joined hands and pointed to the left. Smirking, he said, "It's that way."

_Duh_. Spencer had walked on this street since she was little. It was the way they always came to the train station, about to come home. Besides, there were a lot of headlights and lamp lights by the station, catching anyone's attention.

Spencer walked back to him. "Yeah, I was just…"

Toby laughed. "If you don't want to go back yet, we don't have to."

Spencer raised her head to look at him. "Really? What time is it?"

"Spencer…I was kidding."

Either way, Spencer pulled out her phone. It was almost seven-thirty. It would take roughly forty-five minutes to get home. Even if they left now, it would only be a little after eight.

Spotting a Starbucks across the street, Spencer pointed to it. "Please?"

Toby had to laugh. She looked too excited. He guided her down the street and into the coffee shop. Warm air circled around them. Spencer even had to take off Toby's jacket and give it back to him.

Spencer ordered the strongest thing they had, Toby getting a black coffee. Neither of them wanted anything too fancy.

She let the drink warm her throat after they got them. They both walked to a set of chairs to sit on. She didn't even care that they would miss their train; they would just take the next one.

Toby watched as she poured three sugars in her drink. "What?" she asked him.

"Um, when were you planning on going to sleep? Next year?" Toby asked, referring to to all the caffeine and sugar in her drink.

Spencer just rolled her eyes. "I always drink it like this."

"Why?"

She set her cup down. "I don't know…" she said thoughtfully. "I guess I started it for studying and pulling all-nighters but now it's just something that has to happen."

Toby smiled and let out a laugh. "You're insane."

Spencer nudged him. "Actually, I think I might actually need this for later. I have to finish my extra credit report."

He shook his head. "_Extra_ credit?"

She shrugged. "I need all I can get, Toby. Good isn't enough in my family."

In all seriousness, he said, "there's more to you than just brains."

Spencer smiled. It really meant a lot coming from him. Her friends loved her but when it came to schoolwork, they looked up to her. It's not like they ever told her to take it easy, though they still cared. It was nice to hear something different.

"What about you?" she asked. "What don't I know about you?"

Toby smirked. "You expect to know everything about me after just one day?"

She thought for a moment. "Fine; what about two days?"

He saw what she was getting at and shook his head. "_I'm_ supposed to ask you this time."

Spencer waited but he never said anything. "Okay…" she said awkwardly, drawing out the last letter. Afraid he really _didn't_ want to ask her out again, she looked for something else to say like maybe it would hide her embarrassment. Did he really not want to hang out with her again? "Are you ready?"

Toby grinned and stood up. They still had a good portion of their drinks left so they took it with them. Spencer never made any more contact between the two of them, making Toby think she might be mad about the whole thing.

"Spencer, I was just kidding."

She brushed hair off her face when she looked up. She almost stopped walking right there, mesmerized by the way his blue eyes looked in the city lights. "About what?" she managed to get out.

Before he said anything else, strong wind overcame them for a moment. He took off the jacket she gave back to him in the coffee shop, and handed it to her. She was more hesitant when she took it this time. She struggled with putting it on since she only had one hand because of the coffee she was holding. Toby took it from her and helped her get one sleeve through, and then the next. Her movements were slow and careful. Toby didn't know what changed in Spencer.

But the whole time he was helping her with the jacket, her heart was hammering and she felt butterflies in her. She tried not to look up in his eyes again but that didn't seem to work. She couldn't bring herself to calm down. That's why when he was done and the jacket – that smelled so much like him – was secured around her, she finished her coffee with a few swigs.

Common sense wasn't on her side tonight or she would've known not to drink it so fast. The caffeine surged through her and quickened her pulse. Spencer wished for a distraction.

"Thirsty?" Toby raised his eyebrows.

"What? Oh, no. I just wanted to get rid of it." They continued walking.

By then, they were at the station. He checked the schedule. "You didn't have to finish so soon. The last train to Rosewood left ten minutes ago…"

They were stuck here now? "That can't be right. I've memorized the times. On weekdays, it goes until nine."

Toby pointed to the board in front of them. "They might've changed it. You said you haven't been out in a while," he pointed out.

"Yeah, for _fun_. I was just here with my parents a few weeks ago."

"Well what now?" he asked, not entirely sure she heard him; she was scanning the list, deep in thought.

"I don't know," she finally murmured. Trains cut the time almost in half when you compare it to driving. If they called somebody, they wouldn't make it home until really late.

"We can call somebody to pick us up," he suggested.

Spencer shook her head. "We can't call any of my friends. Besides, it'd take too long to go back by car. Nobody would make it here for another hour and a half anyways."

"Let's just stay here tonight," he suggested hesitantly. He didn't want to make Spencer uncomfortable if she didn't want to stay with him. If she was really against having someone come out to get them, he didn't see another choice.

Spencer straightened up from bending down to look at the schedule. She turned to look at him and bit her lip. She didn't have any other clothes to wear, didn't have a toothbrush; all she had was her purse. They could still catch a train tomorrow and just come to school late. "Why do I feel like I might regret this?"

Toby grinned, and they turned around, in search of somewhere to stay.

* * *

_A/N Spoby sleepover... Sorry, I couldn't resist. I know that realistically, they would've actually called somebody but if you're okay with it, I'm okay with it. Xx_


	6. Chapter 6

Toby and Spencer stayed out wandering the streets that night until finally finding a Holiday Inn. They paid for their room and then opened it, finally having some kind of shelter.

Right as Spencer sat on the edge of one of the beds, she remembered she had turned her phone off for the evening with Toby. She really didn't expect anybody to be _too_ worried but she had six missed calls from Emily, along with a few texts telling Spencer to call her. Aria called once, and so did her mom.

Spencer groaned and looked at Toby. "I think Emily missed me." She showed him the missed calls before dialing her number.

Emily answered on the third ring. "Spencer?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Where are you? You were supposed to meet us at The Brew three hours ago."

Spencer didn't remember ever making that arrangement. "We never said–" And then she remembered Emily briefly saying something about it before school started that morning. "Oh, Emily, I'm sorry."

"Where are you?" Emily asked again.

Spencer looked to Toby. "Um, home." Spencer tried to think about what Emily would want that was so urgent. "Oh, God, Emily. I forgot about lunch. How are you doing?"

Toby raised his eyebrows. He was there and saw how upset she was. Spencer put it on speaker.

Emily sighed. "If you had actually _remembered_ to meet me this afternoon, I would've talked."

Spencer widened her eyes at Emily's attitude. "You didn't have to wait for me, Em."

But Emily was beyond irritated. "I've gotta go."

"Whoops," Spencer whispered when she hung up.

"What's with her?" he asked.

Spencer leaned back so she was lying on the bed with her legs dangling down. "Girl problems."

"As in…?"

Spencer tucked her chin in and lifted her head so she could see him better. "No," she said laughing. "Paige."

Toby leaned back with Spencer. They were both lying down and facing each other. She laced her two hands together and rested them on her stomach. She and Toby were lying like that for a while, just staring at each other. There really was no denying it at this point; Spencer _really_ liked him. She had only asked him to do something today as friends. She never imagined it would get this far. Hell, they were staying in a freakin _hotel room_ tonight.

She was thinking a million things, just staring into his eyes, and they were all about him. She didn't know how long they were like that until she felt her eyelids start to droop. Quickly, she shot out of bed and went into the tiny kitchen space.

"What are you doing?" he asked her, sitting up.

"I need coffee," was all she simply said. She started putting the beans in the coffee maker.

Toby gave her an '_are you kidding_ _me' _look. "_More_? How much do you need?"

"As much as it takes to stay awake."

"Why do you want to stay awake?"

Spencer sighed and looked at him. "Maybe I'm not ready for the night to end."

Toby couldn't help but to grin at her words. "We have school tomorrow."

"Do we?" she shot him a teasing smile. She came to sit on the head of the bed he was still sitting on.

"Am I actually rubbing off on you?" he teased back.

Spencer shook her head. "You're right; I shouldn't ditch."

Toby turned his body so he was cross legged opposite of her. "We're stuck here in Philadelphia and you don't want to take advantage of that? We have one week left until break; I don't think skipping one day will hurt."

Spencer closed her eyes to think about it. But, as always, she let him convince her. "You're screwed if my parents find out." She had let him talk her into walking in the freezing weather, to stay here for a night when they didn't have another option, to settle on a hotel instead of a motel, and now ditching school tomorrow. Was Toby her weakness?

* * *

"Do you think the gift shop is still open?" Spencer asked.

"Why? You want an 'I heart Pennsylvania' t-shirt?"

Spencer uncrossed her legs and kicked him softly on the knee. "_No_. There's nothing to eat in here."

Toby laughed. "You're hungry?"

Spencer got off the bed and walked closer to him. "We just walked over an hour to get here and the only thing I had to eat was a sandwich. How are you _not_ hungry?"

"I _think_ it's open. But either way, there's always vending machines."

Spencer grabbed the key from the table and looked back at Toby. "Are you coming?" She reached her hand out. He took it without hesitation, though he didn't need help to get up. When they closed the door behind them, it shut with a loud _bang_. Spencer froze for a second, there were probably lots of people sleeping by now, but she followed Toby when he continued on.

"Wait," she said in the elevator. "I forgot my wallet."

Toby rolled her eyes. "Would you stop? I can handle some snacks."

The gift shop was closed, so they had to go down to the pool area for the vending machines. They got a lot more than originally planned but Toby couldn't say no to Spencer when she would point out something she wanted.

"Okay, do you think these will last through the night?" Toby teased once they got back.

Spencer set them down in the middle of one of the beds. Then, she remembered she had coffee going so she poured them both a cup.

"What? No sugar in your coffee this time?" Toby asked her.

Spencer shook her head. "Are you kidding? Too much sugar is bad for you."

Toby slowly let his gaze drop to the bed. There were two Hershey's bars, three bags of skittles, one bag of cookies, some potato chips, and Sour Patch Kids.

Spencer bit her lip. "Okay, that was a bad example."

An hour and a half later, Spencer and Toby were playing poker with all of their candy. They found a deck of cards in one of the drawers. They had played a lot of rounds; Spencer was upset Toby kept losing. She even accused him of cheating.

"Why would I cheat, Spencer? You can have half my candy if you want," he offered.

Spencer grabbed his set of cards and started shuffling, preparing for a new game. "Nope. I'm going to win on my own."

"Are you always like this?"

Spencer looked up at him and grinned. "No; I usually win."

"Maybe this isn't your game, then."

After a moment, Spencer set down the cards. "Fine. What do you want to do now?"

So, for the rest of the night, they just talked. They laughed a lot, too. Spencer was almost _glad_ they missed their train. It was a fun thing to do and not worry for a while. She almost didn't even care if her parents found out this happened. Almost.

* * *

Spencer woke up that morning with a pretty bad headache. The digital clock on the night stand read 8:34. School started half an hour ago, which meant her friends already knew she wasn't in school, and they probably already figured out Toby wasn't either.

Then, she suddenly realized Toby was asleep right next to her. His arm was across her waist. Slowly, she pulled his arm off of her and got out of bed. She went into the bathroom to take a shower, thinking that was going to be the only think that would help her right now.

Toby was awoken by the running water. He was sitting on the bed channel surfing when she emerged in the same clothes she had on yesterday with wet hair.

"You're awake," she noted.

Toby nodded. "I'm going to take a shower but feel free to go down and get some breakfast without me."

Spencer decided to wait for him. Because it was a weekday, the breakfast downstairs closed earlier. Spencer wished he would hurry up. She decided it wouldn't hurt at least to go get a cup of coffee – the stuff she had last night wasn't the same.

Spencer went down filled her cup. Her thoughts were so preoccupied that she didn't notice someone waiting when she got off the elevator. She ran right into Toby.

"I am so sorry!" she exclaimed before realizing who it was.

He laughed. "Did you already eat? I went down to look for you."

"What? No, I just," she held up her coffee cup, which was wet on the sides from running into him. The liquid was starting to burn her hands.

Toby slipped past her and pressed the button for the elevator. The one she was just in hadn't moved at all so there wasn't a wait.

"How'd you sleep?" Spencer asked. It was almost weird that what was supposed to be just dinner, turned into a sleepover at a hotel over an hour away from their homes.

They walked into the elevator. "Fine. Except _somebody_ wouldn't stop snoring."

Heat rose to Spencer's cheeks. "Did I snore? Oh, God."

Toby grinned. It dawned on her that he was kidding. She smacked his chest. "Ass."

He chuckled but they didn't say anything else until getting some food and sitting down at one of the tables. "When did you want to go back?"

Spencer thought about it. "_Assuming_ they didn't change their schedule any more than they already did, there's a train that leaves in about an hour."

Toby shook his head. "You said you would ditch school today. We're not going back yet."

She narrowed her eyes. "You know some people might consider this kidnapping."

"Stop being so dramatic. _You_ can go back anytime you want."

Spencer shook her head. "It's my fault we were stuck here; I'm staying with you." Even Spencer had to admit it was a lame excuse to not leave him but she didn't think he would notice.

"Then what do you want to do?"

* * *

For the rest of the day, Spencer was actually _glad_ all of this happened. She was glad she asked Toby into the city; she was glad they missed their train; she was glad he made her ditch school. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had this much fun. Not once did she worry about her parents, or even her friends. She didn't realize how much she just needed to let loose.

Toby and Spencer went to the aquarium first. Toby would've stayed all day there with her just to never see the smile leave her face. She was fascinated by everything in it. She and Toby were laughing all day about _everything_. It was just a completely carefree day.

They ate breakfast pretty late and lunch never even crossed either of their minds. She was only just getting hungry around four.

"You know we should probably head back," Toby told her. Right now, they were just roaming the busy streets and talking. It seems they've done nothing but talk and get to know each other for the past twenty four hours.

"One more hour?" Spencer asked. She looked up at Toby hopefully.

"Won't your friends be worried?"

Spencer shrugged. "I told them I was fine."

"But that was before you didn't show up at school," he pointed out. "What about your parents?"

She didn't bother answering that. "I just don't want to go back. I blame you for this, actually. If you were responsible, like me, we would've _called_ somebody to get us last night."

"Like you?" he scoffed. "Who's the one that _agreed_?" He stabbed her arm with his finger playfully.

Before he could pull back, she caught his hand and wrapped her hand around his finger. "_This_ is why I don't want to go back," she said, gesturing to his finger. "Everything's so serious in Rosewood." She dropped their hands but kept their fingers locked together.

Toby's phone vibrated before he could respond to Spencer. He had turned his phone off to save battery but it must've turned on by itself. He showed Spencer the Caller I.D. and answered the phone with his free hand.

"Emily?"

"Will you tell Spencer she needs to answer her phone?"

Toby stopped walking. Spencer was glancing at him curiously. He mouthed '_busted'_. She widened her eyes, though she shouldn't be shocked. With both of them not being in school today, it was obviously not a coincidence.

"I'm sorry," he said. "We were just about to come back."

Spencer thought about the way he said 'we'. She guesses it's not much of a secret anymore – whatever it was.

Emily paused on her end. She was also thinking about what Toby said. "No, I'm sorry. I know I'm probably irritating the both of you. Just…come back soon?"

Emily and Toby exchanged a few more words before hanging up. Spencer was looking at him irritably.

"What?" he asked, laughing.

"You're taking me back, aren't you?"

"Spencer…" they began walking again. "We can't stay here forever."

She sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder without thinking. "Today was fun. Thank you."

He brushed his cheek against the top of her head. Their movements didn't seem unnatural – just the opposite. It also didn't feel _too_ intimate, because any friends would do that.

"So what do you say for next time? New York?" he teased.

She grinned, playing along. "Perfect. This time, we need to be prepared. I feel like I haven't brushed my hair in so long."

"Yeah…as fun as this was I wouldn't want to do it again without a warning. All you had to eat yesterday was candy."

Spencer wrinkled her nose. "Don't remind me. I feel sick."

"Good. Maybe now you won't do that again."

They turned a corner. Spencer could now see the train station. They walked the rest of the block in silence. There was a train already boarding to Rosewood. Spencer quickly bought two tickets. They made it on just in time.

"So when we get to Rosewood, are you going back to ignoring me?" he asked her.

She grinned, assuming he was teasing, but when she looked up at him, he didn't show it. "Why would you think that?"

He shook his head. "I don't."

"But…?"

He met her eyes. "But you didn't have _any_ distractions today. It was just us," he tried to ignore the way he felt about saying "us". "And I know how your friends think of me. Your parents probably aren't very fond, either. I _was_ accused of blinding my sister and of Alison's murder."

Was he really implying that she would ditch him because of what other people think? "Toby…I'm not _that_ girl." Spencer tried to think about where this might've been coming from. "Not everyone is bad," she said softly. "You can let people in."

"I already have," he said. At first, Spencer thought he was talking about her. Then he said, "it's usually a mistake."

"Me?" Spencer couldn't help but ask. "Do you mean me?"

Toby reached his hand to touch her leg. "No, Spencer. Of course not."

Spencer thought about leaning in to kiss him but something made her hold back. They were on a pretty busy train right now and she still didn't know if he thought of her like that. Right now just wasn't the place and time.

* * *

_A/N Happy Halloween! I hope you enjoyed :) Xx_


	7. Chapter 7

After arriving back in Rosewood, Toby drove her to her house.

"Did you want to come in?" she asked him when he pulled into her driveway.

"Uh…sure," he finally agreed. He'd never been inside of her house before but passed by it on several occasions. It wasn't like before today he had any _reason_ to go inside.

Once they got up to the porch, Spencer dug around in her purse for her keys. She tried to jam them in the keyhole but then dropped them. Sighing, she reached down to pick them up. Somehow, she lost her balance on her way down.

Toby just stood there, laughing.

"What?" she asked after finally unlocking the door.

"Is there anything you _don't_ trip over?" They both walked inside.

She turned around to look at him. "I didn't fall over _once_ today in Philly."

"Philly?" Spencer spun around when she heard somebody else's voice.

"Dad, hey. W-what are you doing here?" He's never here in the afternoon. Her parents usually don't get home until late evening.

His eyes slid to Toby before answering. "I'm working from home. Were you in Philadelphia?"

Spencer tried to think fast. He clearly didn't even notice her absence last night. "Yeah, I went after school. Toby came with me." She decided it would be better to explain Toby right now than to pretend he wasn't there at all.

"Really?" he asked. "Because Aria came by with your homework today."

Spencer was going to kill that girl. "I had to miss class today for the freshman's dance. It's this Friday and I was helping them all day." She was pretty proud of coming up with that so fast. She just made up the dance.

"Spencer," he said calmly. "Give it up."

She sighed in defeat. "Okay but I _just_ picked up Toby. You can't blame him for this." She felt him lightly press on her back. He was trying to tell her that he wasn't going to let her throw herself under the bus.

"And _that_ is another lie," he said. He nodded towards Toby. "You can go."

"Why? He didn't do anything!"

"Spencer…" Toby said. She finally turned to look at him. "I'll see you tomorrow." She could see in his eyes he was sorry, but she was also angry that he was leaving. She didn't want to be here with her dad now that he knew she had skipped, and probably with him.

After Toby left, there were no words going between Spencer and her father. She knew what the silence meant for him and, as much as she wanted to, she couldn't go upstairs. He was either trying to get her to confess or figuring out what he wanted to do.

"Spencer, I don't want you seeing him," he said.

She knew what he meant but tried to argue anyways. "No, it's not _like_ that."

"Have you not learned _anything_ from his records? He's nothing but trouble."

He was wrong, but Spencer couldn't say anything. According to all of Rosewood, he was the one that set fire to his garage.

"Dad…" she didn't know what to say. He didn't know any of the truth but his decision was made.

***LINE***

Emily was working her shift at The Brew when she saw Toby walk in. His eyes immediately met hers, and he made his way over.

"Your back!" she said.

He smiled. "Sorry for leaving like that…and for taking Spencer with me."

Emily nodded. "About that…was there a reason you two were missing for an entire day? I thought Spencer was in a coma when she didn't show up at school today."

Toby laughed. "It's a long story. Has she called you yet?"

Emily had to have her phone on silent during shifts. She pulled it out. There was a missed call from Spencer only a couple minutes ago. "Yeah. Why? Is it important?"

"We ran into her dad when I took her home. He knows she skipped. I'd be surprised if she was allowed out," he explained.

She widened her eyes. "No, no, no. I need to talk to her."

They turned to see Hanna walk in. She smiled when she saw Emily but looked surprised to see Toby. She also didn't look very happy.

She had made her way over to them. "What the hell, Toby?"

He wasn't as tense around her friends like he used to be. Besides, he knew why Hanna was so upset to see him, and he understood.

"You can't just kidnap Spencer like that. We were worried, not to mention the little slumber party you two had has you written all over it."

"Han," Emily said. "Calm down. Besides, they didn't _do_ anything." She hesitantly turned towards Toby. "You two didn't do anything, right?"

"Emily!" he exclaimed.

"They didn't do anything," she repeated, looking back at Hanna.

"So?" Hanna shot. "He convinced her to stay overnight with him."

She was talking like Toby _wasn't_ six inches away from him. "That's not what happened," he was trying to keep in control because the last thing he wanted was for Hanna to hate him even more but the fact that she accused him of this was making him angry.

"I've gotta go."

Emily sighed and rolled her eyes once Hanna turned. "Where?"

She turned back slightly, and was only looking at Emily. "To Aria's. Or Caleb's. I don't know."

***LINE***

"I'm sorry about Hanna," Emily apologized, probably for the twentieth time. She was on break; she and Toby were sitting at a table a few minutes later.

"I understand," he said. "But…_nothing_ happened last night."

Emily nodded. "I believe you…but, what _did_ happen? What made you two stay overnight? Why were you in Philly to begin with?"

Toby took a sip of the coffee he was drinking – it was black, three sugars. He wanted to try it. It really w_as_ pretty strong. Then, he launched into the story, only adding few details.

***LINE***

Lunch rolled around pretty fast the next day. Spencer thought it was because the last day of the semester was tomorrow and nobody was taking class too seriously anymore. She hadn't talked to any of her friends yet. They only stared at her when she sat down in the cafeteria.

"What?"

Aria spoke up first. "Are you going to tell us anything or…?"

She shook her head. "Not now. By the way, Hanna. Thanks for bringing me my homework after school." Her voice was sour.

"Oh, yeah. I stopped by your classes after school ended to pick it up."

"Well," Spencer said. "Now I'm grounded, thanks to you."

"Me?" Hanna defended. "What about you? This is your fault."

Spencer sighed and shook her head. "I know. I'm sorry. This _is_ my fault."

"Spencer?"

She looked up. Toby was standing by their table, looking at her. "I need to talk to you."

Spencer might've told him they would talk later but it looked important.

"Uh, sure." She got up and followed him to a spot away from her friends. "What is it?"

His eyes searched the room, afraid anyone might overhear. The only people that looked curious as to what they're talking about were her friends. "I, uh, got a call from my lawyer."

"Okay…" she said, afraid of where this was going.

He didn't speak at first, trying to decide what all he wanted to tell her. "Your dad doesn't want me talking to you."

Blood boiled underneath her skin. He wanted to make this _legal_? "Toby…that-that's not…" It wasn't fair.

He sighed. "I went over last night to see you. I would've called but didn't think it would be a problem. Your father basically attacked me and I know didn't exactly come off easily. He already thinks we spent the night together at that hotel and ditched school. Plus with…everything else," he tried to avoid bringing Jenna into this. "He called one of his friends – who happen to be my lawyer. Basically, that was the second strike. My lawyer said if I were smart, I would just stay away."

Her dad was using the power of his job to threaten him? Spencer didn't even want to think about that. Angrily, she went back to her table and picked up her bag. "I'm staying with you tonight," she muttered to Aria, and then walked out of the cafeteria.

Hanna was also angry, looking at Toby accusingly. Aria was shocked, and Emily just looked confused. They stared at Toby, who still hadn't moved. He thought about going over and explaining but thinking better of it, just walked away.

***LINE***

Spencer wasn't entirely sure where she was going once she left school. Her dad was working and she knew better than to interrupt him there, especially with him being so angry. She just didn't want to be in school anymore. The whole date had gone too far, they were only supposed to be out a couple hours. Now, Hanna was pissed, Spencer was grounded, her dad hates both her and Toby, and she's missing even _more_ school now.

She drove around for a while, completely lost in thought. Her mind would shift from her dad, to her friends, and back to Toby. By the time she decided to head back, school had let out.

The obvious place to go now would be Aria's. She didn't even knock on the front door before entering. Aria had a book in front of her but she was typing away on her phone. She didn't even notice Spencer standing right there until she cleared her throat.

"Spencer! Where have you been? What is going on? You haven't told us _anything_ about Philly." Aria set her phone down and looked at her friend expectantly.

Sighing, she dropped her bag down on the floor and took a seat across from Aria on the bed. "Is there any chance that your family wants to adopt me?"

"That bad?"

Spencer shrugged. "I've had better days. Long story short, Toby and I went to Philly for the evening. We missed the last train to Rosewood and decided to stay at a hotel for the night."

"Why didn't you just call one of us?"

Spencer leaned back until she was lying down on the bed. "It was late; we didn't want to bother you."

"And what did Toby say at lunch?"

Spencer explained everything that's been going on since they got back. "I just can't go back home."

Aria considered everything she just heard. "Have you talked to your mom? I mean maybe she feels differently."

That was Aria for you, considering all options, no matter how ridiculous. "Of course I haven't talked to her; I know she's siding with my dad on this."

Aria sighed. Toby must've said something to Spencer's dad last night that really set him off. Even if Mr. Hastings could be a jerk sometimes, he was a lawyer; he still had to be rational. Besides everything that happened in Philly, something else went on making her father go to such lengths. "Spence," Aria said. "What did Toby and your dad talk about when he came over last night? You didn't even hear them?"

Spencer shook her head. "I had no idea Toby even came over until he told me at lunch."

"I think you should ask Toby."

Aria had a point. Spencer wasn't entirely sure where Aria's mind was heading but either way there has to be something she doesn't know. "I'll do that now," Spencer agreed. Grabbing her purse, Spencer walked out of the house without another word. She was suddenly eager to see him.

***LINE***

Toby had just gotten out of the shower when he heard a knock at his door. He usually never got any visitors, besides Emily but she just lets herself in, so he quickly threw on a shirt and answered. He was relieved when he saw Spencer on the other side. "Hey, how are you?"

Spencer smiled back at him. "I'm okay. Can I come in?"

He stepped aside, allowing her access. She had never seen the loft before now. Part of her was stalling, but she was also genuinely curious to look around and see where he lived.

"So what are you doing here?" Toby broke Spencer's concentration on his loft (but mostly on her stalling).

"Sorry, was this a bad time?" She finally took note of his appearance. His hair was wet and so was the fabric of his shirt around the collar. It looked like he had just showered. She hoped he didn't have anything to get ready for.

Toby shook his head slowly. He was still standing in the doorway. Spencer was in the center of the room, a few feet away from him. "Actually, I wanted to call you. You were pretty upset earlier."

She felt her face harden over. "I don't know how many times I can apologize for my dad."

"No, Spencer, you have nothing to apologize for. He's only looking out for you."

Spencer furrowed her brows. "Looking out for me? You didn't do anything, he was just –" Spencer stopped herself before she got too angry. Taking a deep breath, she remembered why she came over. "Did you say anything to him last night – when you came over – that might set him off? I mean, is there something I don't know?"

Toby looked down. She was about to say something, knowing he was holding something back, but he cleared his throat. "I saw him at the hotel that night…when we went down to get snacks. I wasn't even sure it _was_ him until I saw you two talking yesterday. He saw me, too and…I don't think he wanted anybody to know he was there."

Part of Spencer's mind had quickly put together the pieces Toby wasn't giving her but the other part tried to think of other possibilities. "You saw him…where?"

"He was going into one of the rooms," Toby replied softly.

So not only was her father in the same hotel as them that night but he also… "But he wouldn't…" Spencer couldn't say the words, probably because she knew it was true. She had Jason as proof that he hasn't always been loyal to her mother. But she thought they were behind that. Spencer couldn't imagine this actually happening.

Toby gave her a few moments to think before continuing. "I told him that I knew he was there. He didn't deny it, but he did get angry. I knew he might do something to keep me from telling you but it was honestly a surprise when I got the call from my lawyer."

Spencer's family had never been entirely built on love but she always admired how strong her parents' relationship was. It was a blow to the face when she found out about Jason but that happened before she was even born. To find out that her dad was seeing somebody else now was too much. He even went as far as to call Toby's lawyer to keep it under wraps. As much as her parents tried to show it, Spencer knew they weren't perfect; they had too many layers and too many secrets.

Spencer finally realized Toby had stepped up, and was now half a foot away from her. "I-I just don't…"

"I get it," he said quietly.

She looked up to meet his eyes. "Do you?"

Spencer saw pain immediately flood through his eyes. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean…"

Toby realized how many unfinished sentences she was leaving him. He felt like he could see through the brave face she was putting on. He doesn't know much about their family but no matter what it was like, this was clearly hurting her. "I shouldn't have sprung this on you, I'm sorry. You don't have to pretend like it's not a big deal," _in front of me_, he wanted to add. Did she think she had to hide when she was around him? He wished she trusted him enough to let down her walls.

She reached out to touch his arm. "I should go."


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N I kinda neglected the Paige/Emily break up storyline in the last chapter but it's explained why in this one. Again, sorry if you DO ship them. I ship Spoby but we're 8 chapters in and they're still not together. I'm not even sure if that was a great example but…_

_And as I've said before, this Paige stuff ties in with the main storyline as well. For those of you that don't really like where I'm going with this, that's okay because it's not going to be a huge point right now._

* * *

Spencer didn't show up in school the next day. Toby was worried but every time he saw Emily or Aria, Hanna was with them. He didn't _mind_ talking to Aria but knew better than to ask about Spencer with Hanna around. It wouldn't have mattered anyways because none of the girls knew where Spencer was either. She had told Aria that she would go to school that morning but never showed.

Toby still had the seed of hope that she might be in their last class. His heart sunk when he saw Aria doodling on her notebook alone. It was Friday, which meant winter break starts tomorrow.

In the middle of class, their teacher, Mrs. Palmer, was talking about something that had nothing to do with Chemistry (she obviously didn't have any lesson plans for the day). The class was scribbling down notes.

Toby turned around to look at Aria. She was only a couple of feet behind him, Emily was across the room from the both of them.

Aria stopped writing vigorously and slowly looked up at him, as if surprised he wanted her attention. "I don't know where Spencer is," she said before he could tell her what he wanted.

"Do you think she's okay?" they had to whisper but other than that, he forgot they were supposed to be taking notes.

Aria sighed and set her pencil down. For the first time, she saw how much Toby cared. "She told me what happened. I know for a fact I'm the only one she told because I was watching her constantly. She wasn't herself. This morning, she said she wanted to ride to school separately but never showed." Aria shrugged. "I don't blame her for skipping. I'm sure she's fine."

"Toby?" Mrs. Palmer asked. Aria tried to hide a smirk as he slowly turned back to face the front. "Did you get all that?"

He looked down at the paper in front of him and pretended to read through it. "Yeah, I got it."

She narrowed her eyes but continued. Toby locked eyes with Emily who looked at him curiously. He picked up his pencil and went back to writing, not wanting to explain anything right now. What Aria told him put him at ease. Spencer was fine.

* * *

Spencer made it about five miles away from Aria's house before turning around and going back that morning. She let herself in using the key they hide in the flower-pot and has been in Aria's room ever since. All day she had contemplated talking to her dad, or Aria, or Toby but couldn't bring herself to do anything. She heard the door open and heard Aria talking on the phone with somebody but Spencer didn't get off the bed.

Aria screamed and jumped back when she saw Spencer lying on her bed. "Spencer, what the hell?"

Spencer finally sat up. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

Aria's hand was still over her chest. "Thanks for the warning. Have you been in bed all day?" Aria pulled the covers off of Spencer. "You have, haven't you? Get up and come with me." She held her hand out for Spencer to take but then remembered the phone in her hand. She pulled it back to her ear. "Han? Sorry, I just found Spence. Can I call you back?"

Emily went over to Hanna's house after school. Aria was going to drop off her things, look for Spencer, and meet them at Hanna's later. It was Emily who responded over speaker phone. "Bring Spencer. We need to talk."

* * *

Thirty endless minutes of complaining from Spencer about not wanting to go anywhere later, they were all in Hanna's bedroom.

"I need to tell you why Paige and I broke up," Emily said seriously. All the girls – except Spencer – were previously laughing and telling stories. Emily was finally getting down to it. She had wanted to talk to all of them alone for a few days now.

Hanna put a supportive hand on Emily's knee. "Em, I'm sorry."

Emily nodded slowly. "So am I." Her eyes were slightly watering. Emily was strong, and put on a brave face. It took her a minute to compose herself, though. "Paige might be A."

The room was silent. They were confused Emily wasn't elaborating. She just sat there with a blank expression. "H-how do you know that?" Aria finally said.

Again, Emily waited to talk until she gained strength in her voice. "A few nights ago…I thought I was following her to her house – I was going to surprise her. But she dropped her car off in her driveway and walked for a few blocks. I was following her. Eventually, we made it to that old factory down by the lake and she got in another car. I followed her to…" she didn't finish. Instead, she skipped ahead. "I followed her into some apartment complex about fifty miles from here. When she saw me, she tried to deny it but…you should've seen it. The room was full of pictures of us, taken when we weren't looking, articles about Ali in the paper…you can't deny that."

Was that why A has been pretty silent these past few days?

"So what do we do now?" Hanna asked, breaking the silence.

For the first time all day, Spencer spoke. "There's nothing _to_ do; it's over. I think it's _finally_ over."

This time, Emily was the one that didn't look happy. "Is it?"

Spencer shook her head, realizing she should've been more supportive. "Em…I am so sorry, I didn't mean…"

Everything was changing, mostly in bad ways, and Spencer didn't like it. Who else was going to lie to her like her father? Who else was going to hurt her and her friends like Paige? Nothing is how it used to be anymore.

* * *

A few days had passed since school let out. Emily was strong, but could only hide so much pain. Spencer was still staying with Aria and hadn't talked with her parents yet. She still felt like she owed Toby an apology of some sort for just walking out like that but has had yet to talk with him. The holidays were getting closer but there was suddenly so much distance between her and her friends. Spencer and Aria talked but that was it – they were trying to give Emily space but not even Hanna wanted to see them.

"What's going on with Hanna?" Spencer asked. She and Aria were in Aria's bedroom. Spencer was folding some of her clothes and putting them in her duffel bag. Aria was already in her pajamas painting her toenails.

"What do you mean?"

Spencer placed her last shirt and the bag and sat down across from Aria on her bed. "I mean she's not answering my calls or asked us to go shopping ever since…Emily." Spencer picked out her own color and started painting her toes.

Aria nodded her head in agreement. "I saw her at The Brew yesterday with Caleb but when she saw me, she took Caleb and they both left. I didn't really think anything of it because you know how she can get. I just figured she was mad at me because I stole her moisturizer or something."

Spencer raised her eyebrows. "_Did_ you steal it?"

She smirked. "Probably, I take her stuff all the time."

Spencer sighed. "Maybe there's nothing going on."

Aria looked up from the toe she was painting. "Of course not; if there was, she'd tell us."

* * *

The next morning, Spencer showed up at Toby's front door with two cups of coffee. She hoped he was awake right now. It was a little after ten but she didn't know how late he sleeps in.

It only took him a few seconds to open the door after he knocked. Spencer almost swallowed her gum when she saw him. He wasn't wearing a shirt. "U-uh…I brought you coffee," she said lamely.

Toby moved out from the doorway to let her in. He slowly reached out and took the smaller cup, knowing full well she got the large for herself. "Thanks. I meant to call you."

She shook her head. "No, I know I left so suddenly last week and I'm sorry." She couldn't help her gaze sliding down to his bare chest. Toby noticed too but didn't say anything. "I haven't seen my parents since you told me," she had to stop before her throat closed up. She quickly cleared it away. "But they haven't even called me or anything. Like, they don't…care where I've been. I never told them where I was going… Why don't they care?"

Toby could see she was on the verge of tears. Maybe telling her about her dad's affair wasn't a good choice. Spencer was feeling so lost right now. It's been a long week.

Spencer suddenly snapped out of her fragile state and wiped at her tears quickly. "Sorry for barging in like this. I just wanted to see you."

He smiled. "You're not intruding. I'm actually glad you stopped by. I was worried when you didn't show up to school Friday."

She tensed. "Friday I…I wanted to talk to my dad but…" she sucked in a breath of air. "What do I say? I can't face him. Especially after what he did to you."

Toby could see that she was about to lose it again. He quickly enveloped her in his arms tightly. She didn't respond at first. Spencer didn't like to look like the weak one. But the way Toby held her made her crumble. She finally let out her first sobs. Spencer didn't feel weak anymore. She felt powerless, but not weak.

When she had finished letting it out, she didn't feel embarrassed, either. Toby pulled away to look at her face when the cries died down. He gave her a small smiled and wiped at her fallen tears. His other hand was behind her, they were still pressed against each other.

Without thinking about it, she reached up and cupped his cheek in her hand. "Thank you," was all she said.

Toby only smiled in response. "You're welcome to stay if you don't have plans."

Spencer bit her lip, thinking. She was supposed to come with Aria to see Emily and maybe even see if Hanna was available. It wasn't that she didn't love her friends, and she was fully aware of Emily needing her, but maybe there was some way she could get out of that for the day.

As if on cue, her cell phone vibrated. It was Aria. _Emily came by. Where are you?_

Her thumbs danced, hovering over the keyboard. Before she thought of how to reply, Toby stepped out of the room and went into his bedroom, probably getting dressed.

_At Toby's_

She sent the message before deciding to erase it. There was no reason to lie to them.

"Emily just asked me what I'm doing," Toby's voice rang out behind her, causing her to jump.

Spencer glanced down at her phone again; Aria hadn't responded. "She knows I'm here."

"Is that a problem?" he inquired.

"What? No, but I'm supposed to see them later."

Toby let his eyes wander the room. Looking back down at his phone, he told Spencer, "I'm inviting them over."

"_Them_? Not just Emily?" Spencer wondered what Hanna would do if she came over. It probably wouldn't be the ideal afternoon for her.

"Oh, look. Emily said they'll be right over," he told her.

She rolled her eyes playfully. There was a part of her that wished he hadn't told them to come over. Before Aria texted, she was set on being with him and him only, all day. But maybe it'll be fun to have her friends over. She and Toby could hang out, alone, another time.

All of the girls – including Hanna – showed up at Toby's about ten minutes later. Aria and Hanna were cautious at first, being in his loft. It took a couple of hours but Spencer finally saw Aria warm up around the place. Hanna never seemed to be comfortable, saying few words, and only replying with short answers when asked a question.

Emily was clearly enjoying having them all there. She and Aria was pretty obviously watching Spencer and Toby closely, unsure on how close they had gotten. Partly because she and Toby weren't together and partly because she didn't want to raise any questions, Spencer tried to keep the physical contact between her and Toby to a minimum.

The day wasn't as bad as Spencer thought it would be. For the first hour, they were sitting in the living room, the TV was on, but Toby, Emily, and Spencer were talking, Aria forcefully joining in occasionally. It wasn't until they were eating lunch that Aria had warmed up. Hanna poked at her food all day, and again, her friends just ignored her.

It was almost four by the time Hanna convinced Aria to take her home. Emily had left shortly afterwards, but not before winking at Spencer. Her cheeks burned, earning a satisfied smirk from Emily.

Now, Spencer at Toby were standing in the kitchen, washing the dishes. They hadn't gone through a whole lot of dishes today, but Spencer saw some of his from previous days piling up on the counter.

They hadn't said much since they began, but the silence was fitting. Only when Spencer dropped a plate in the sink, causing soapy water to splash all over them, was the silence broken.

She gasped; there was water all over her right sleeve. Looking back at him, she saw he had barely gotten wet. He seemed to notice this too because he grinned at her.

Spencer reached for a dry towel. Toby had assumed she would use to dry herself with, and was caught off guard when she dipped the towel in the water, and quickly smacked him in the chest with it. He was just as wet as she was, now.

"Spencer!"

She giggled. "Yes?"

He looked down. The entire front if his shirt was soaked. But before he could respond, there was a knock at the door.

Spencer headed towards his couch and picked up a small wallet. "It's probably Aria; this is hers, she left it here by mistake."

Toby took one last look at her, shook his head, and went into his bedroom, probably to get a new shirt. Spencer was still grinning when she made it to the door.

But the person behind the door wasn't Aria. Spencer's body froze over when she saw Jenna in the doorway, with her signature smirk planted over her mouth.

* * *

_A/N I know it may not seem like it, but Hanna _does_ have a reason for being bitchy. As always, make my day and review :) I like to know I'm not alone here ;) Xx_


	9. Chapter 9

Spencer hadn't seen Jenna and Toby together since he moved out, but that could be because she never paid much attention to him. As far as she knew, the two of them never saw each other. Spencer's mind raced with possibilities as to why she could be here.

"Are you busy?" Jenna asked. Spencer swore could see the mischief gleaming in her eyes behind her dark sunglasses.

Should she speak? Did she want Jenna to know she was with Toby right now? The silence was becoming too long, and Toby still wasn't back. Soon, Jenna was going to start speaking again.

To buy time, Spencer stepped away from the doorway. Jenna sensed her movement and walked into his loft. Spencer was eyeing her the whole time.

"I hope I got the right address," she said. It seemed as though her eyes were roaming the room, checking it out, but that wasn't possible. It was just another way for Jenna to seem any creepier. "I asked the owner," she went on. "Zack, was that his name?"

Finally, Toby appeared in the doorway. Spencer looked him, a lost expression on her face. He had the same one. "Jenna?" he asked. Quietly, he stepped closer to the two of them.

Jenna knew Toby's voice was too far away. She realized somebody else was in here, too. "Toby? Who else is there?"

Spencer caught his eye. She shook her head, not wanting Jenna to know of her presence.

"Nobody," he finally said. "What do you want?"

Jenna fumbled around in her purse. She pulled out a thick white envelope and handed it to Toby. He didn't open or read the front; he only stood there, watching her.

She cleared her throat. "Aunt Rose was in a car accident last week." She motioned to the envelope. "That was what she left you."

Toby was a little caught off guard and confused. Aunt Rose was his mother's sister. They weren't very close, but this was a _lot_ of money. "Why are _you_ bringing me this?"

Any sympathy that was on her face was immediately gone. "I asked. I wanted to," she smiled.

Toby only looked down at the envelope. He didn't want to see her face right now. Then he remembered Spencer, who was probably not having any more fun with this than he was.

He was about to ask her to leave when she explained where the money came from. "Most of the money in there was for your mom, but after she died, your aunt gave it to you."

Toby winced. She was never very sensitive when it came to his mother. "You can go, Jenna."

She knew she had Toby in a tough spot right now. "Bye, Toby." Spencer had to softly step out of the way. She was still afraid Jenna might've heard her footsteps, though. Jenna stopped walking when she and Spencer were inches apart. "Goodbye, Spencer," she said.

Chills instantly shot through Spencer's entire body.

Before receiving a response, Jenna was out the door. Soon, it was just the two of them, almost like Jenna was never there. Except for the envelope in Toby's hand and the thoughtful expression that was now on his face.

"I'm sorry," Spencer said. "About your aunt."

Toby met her eyes and laughed, as though that was the last thing on his mind. "I'd only seen her twice."

"How much is in there?" Spencer motioned to the money in his hand.

"Enough."

"Enough for what?"

Toby looked back up. He hadn't realized he said that aloud. "Nothing. Just…enough."

She didn't say anything in response. They locked eyes for a minute, before he sighed. "I've been saving up to get a new job."

"Really? Where is it?"

This was why Toby knew it was a mistake for even saying anything. Before, he was all set on going. But now, it seemed like things were different. It would be harder to just up and leave for a new life. He decided on ignoring the question. "I'm not even sure I want the job."

She smiled encouragingly. "I say go for it."

Toby took a seat on one of the bar stools in front of the counter. Spencer did the same, sitting next to him. "It's in California," he finally said.

Her eyes widened. She just figured it would be in Philly, or maybe only as far away as New York. Not all the way across the country. She looked for something to say, but nothing came to mind.

"Like I said, I was only thinking about it."

She nodded, and placed a hand on his. "No, I think that's great. When are you leaving?"

Spencer thought she was masking her surprise pretty well, but Toby saw through it. "I don't think I will go. I should save the money for a rainy day."

Something inside of Spencer couldn't bring herself to tell him to go. It might've been because she didn't want him to be moving all the way across the country – she honestly didn't know what she would do if he left – but she also couldn't encourage him to leave because she could tell he didn't want to go, either. But maybe she was only imagining that.

Suddenly, she hopped off the chair. "I should go; I have dinner plans."

Toby didn't say anything, though there were obviously some holes with her excuse. For one, it was only four thirty. Even if she did have plans, she wouldn't have to leave _now_.

He only stood up and walked her to the door. "When are you free again?" he asked, helping her arms through the sleeves of her coat.

Spencer chewed on her lip. Christmas was only four days away. She knew she was probably going to be pretty busy.

"I'll call you," was all she promised.

* * *

But Spencer only loosely held onto her word. It was Christmas Eve and she hadn't reached out to him at all. She was afraid. She was afraid that if she got too close, he would go away. With everything happening with her dad – who she still hadn't talked to – there just wasn't room in her life for disappointment. If Toby was leaving, she would rather they leave it there.

"You need to talk to your dad," Aria told Spencer that evening. They were in Aria's room, getting ready to go to a Christmas party Aria had found out about.

"No, I don't," Spencer replied. She was seated on the small chair, shoving her boots on.

"Tomorrow is Christmas, and you haven't talked to him in…how long? Two weeks? You can't keep staying here, Spence."

"Look, now is not the time," she snapped. "And if you have a problem, I can always stay somewhere else."

"You _know _you're always welcome here." Aria started applying her blush. "You need to talk to Toby, too."

Aria had noticed something off about Spencer when she arrived back at her house the afternoon Jenna came over. Spencer had briefly told her Toby was leaving, but shrugged it off as nothing. Aria knew better, though.

Spencer nodded over to her phone lying on the dresser. "I'll call him later."

"Spencer, you've said that four times now."

Irritated, Spencer picked up her phone and dialed Toby's number. Of course, she was only doing this to prove a point to Aria but another part of her knew she was due in for a phone call either way. He answered on the second ring. "Toby? Are you busy tonight?"

* * *

An hour and a half later, the four girls, Caleb, and Toby all climbed out of Spencer's car. She was actually glad Toby was coming along. Besides, Caleb would've been the only guy here with them.

Hanna wasn't the most pleasant when she found out about this. Spencer should've guessed, but Hanna had actually been back to her normal self these past few days, up until now. Spencer was only grateful that Caleb _was _coming – she hoped he could help keep Hanna sane.

The party was only twenty minutes outside of Rosewood. It was at a small museum, even though it wasn't anything fancy. Instead of dresses, champagne, and soft music, the party had almost everyone in casual wear, a disco ball, and people talking loudly over the also-loud music.

"See?" Aria yelled over some radio remix on The Twelve Days of Christmas. "This isn't bad." She was mainly talking to Emily, who had insisted they stay inside for Christmas Eve.

Emily shrugged. She and Spencer hung their jacket up on a rack. By the time they turned back around, Hanna and Caleb were gone. Spencer sighed. She was really getting tired of this.

"Excuse me," she muttered, mainly to Toby, as she made her way through the crowd. It took a while, with all the people here, but Hanna was wearing a shirt with gold sequins on; it was easy to spot. She and Caleb were outside, sitting on the edge of a fountain.

"Hanna?" Spencer asked.

She looked up from Caleb and cleared her throat, smoothing down her shirt. "Yeah?"

Instead of answering, Spencer's eyes slipped to Caleb. "Can I have a minute?"

Hanna pleaded with Caleb to stay with her eyes. He didn't want to go, if she was so opposed to it, but Caleb knew Spencer would never hurt her. He kissed her on the top of her head and left. Silence hung around Spencer and Hanna before she finally took a seat next to Hanna.

"Do you remember when we were fifteen and you shoved me into the fountain?" Spencer recalled, laughing.

There was a smile on Hanna's face, but she didn't look up from her folded hands in her lap. "You hit your head on the bottom. I remember when you came up; you grabbed me in, too." Hanna's voice was almost mute. She cleared her throat. "And the others jumped in. I remember your mom was mortified to see us playing in the fountain, soaked in our clothes."

Spencer remembered that day clearly. She and Hanna had gotten into a fight about something neither of them had any hopes of remembering now.

"I'm sorry you don't like Toby." You almost couldn't hear Spencer's voice over the water beating down behind them. She leaned her head on Hanna's shoulder. She felt Hanna relax.

Spencer heard a sniffle, and raised her head to see it was Hanna, wiping a tear. "I know you are," she said, nodding.

She was surprised by how upset Hanna seemed to have gotten. She waited, but Hanna didn't elaborate.

Sighing, Spencer gave up waiting for an answer. "Well, its Christmas Eve, we've only got so much time here before we have to go home, and you're crying." Spencer stood up. "Now get up, and have a good time. I'm not putting up with those tears anymore."

Hanna laughed, wiping her face. "I'm sorry, I'll try," she promised.

Spencer grinned. It seemed like she finally had their friend back. They walked back into the party to find their friends, pointing out the people that got a little _too_ decked out for the holidays.

* * *

Caleb and Toby weren't strangers to each other. They were actually pretty good friends in school. They had never talked outside of class before now. Toby was surprised to see Caleb when he got into the car earlier that evening. He didn't know he was with Hanna.

Toby recognized Caleb walking back in through the doors, looking for all of them a few minutes after Spencer left.

"I left Hanna alone with Spencer," he informed. "Should I be worried?"

"Spencer's with Hanna?" Aria asked. "I would be," she muttered into her drink.

Toby found their exchange amusing. "Spencer's really that bad?"

Emily nodded. "But Hanna's probably fine."

"Oh!" Aria set her cup down on the table behind her. "This," she put her hand on Caleb's arm, "is Caleb. And Caleb, that's Toby."

Caleb smirked. "Thanks, Aria, but believe it or not, you guys are not the only people in school I talk to."

Aria frowned, and then it all clicked into place. "Ohhh, so you've got your own bromance going on?"

Emily almost choked on her water. "Aria, I have _never_ heard you say the word 'bromance' before."

Hanna slipped between Toby and Emily suddenly. She quickly made her way to the other side of their circle. She stood in front of Caleb, who wrapped her arms around her from behind. She looked happy.

Toby turned, looking for Spencer but she wasn't there. Obviously knowing what Toby was looking for, Aria asked, "So are you and Spencer…"

Toby tried to keep his composure. "Together? No," he shook his head like he didn't think anything of it. Except, he _had_ been, a lot. He knew he was attracted to her, but wanted to know if she felt the same way. Spotting her across the room getting a drink at the snack bar, he figured now would be a good chance to ask her friends. In the end, he decided against it. He couldn't entirely trust the girls not to tell her.

Toby finally saw her across the room, filling her drink with punch. He realized, before he started to make his way over to her, that she was talking to somebody. It wasn't anybody that she came with, though. Before he was able to start walking to her, he was able to spot the man. It wasn't somebody he knew.

He suddenly started to grow anxious. To try and calm his nerves, he tried to listen in on what the other girls had started talking about. He quickly realized that wasn't going to work once they had started talking about some fountain that they had fallen in when they were younger. Even Caleb looked pretty lost.

Aria suddenly got a phone call. She looked at it, frowned, and muttered to the four of them that she would be right back.

Looking back at the table Spencer was just at a minute ago, he didn't see her anymore, nor did he see the guy she was talking to. Before he had any time to wonder where she had run off, somebody came up from behind him. Spencer squeezed through Toby and Emily – the same people Hanna had just gone through – and stopped. She was now standing right in front of Toby.

"Where were you?" Hanna asks. "I thought you were right behind me."

Spencer held up her hand, with a cup of punch in it. "Somebody was telling me that they were going to have a bunch of fireworks at midnight – since it _is_ Christmas Eve. I think we should watch."

It was about a quarter til eleven right now. After they all nodded their head in some sort of agreement, Aria came back. She looked fine, and nobody asked her what it was about. But through the rest of the night, she was trying to get Spencer alone to talk.

After watching the firework show, they all decided it was probably best to get home. Spencer couldn't remember having this much fun in a long time. The six of them were laughing, and being loud when they had gotten in the car to go home. Hanna was the last – besides Spencer and Aria – to be dropped off. Spencer quickly thanked her for giving Toby a shot tonight. She froze for a second, but a small smile was placed on her face, and she silently got out of the car.

Spencer didn't realize it, but Aria had taken a different way to go back to her place. Except, Aria wasn't going back to the Montgomery house; she was taking Spencer in the complete opposite direction.

* * *

_A/N Lately, I haven't been getting the reviews I hoped for. Normally, I don't bring it up because I'm always worried about sounding pushy but I just posted a chapter that didn't have any reviews _at all_. I understand, sometimes I read an update and don't feel like reviewing so I don't but getting one review on a chapter and getting none makes me disappointed. Like I said, I hate to sound so assertive but I'm also afraid about not saying anything._

_But, regardless, I love this website and I love the community. Xx_


	10. Chapter 10

They were still in Aria's car, on their way to where Spencer thought to be Aria's place. She still hadn't realized they weren't going the right way.

"Spencer, it's _Christmas_," Aria protested. "If you don't go now, you'll regret it."

Spencer blew air form her lips. Even though it's been a good two weeks, she just wasn't ready to see her father. The thing that had her most upset was the fact that nobody in her house had bothered to check up on her. She wouldn't be surprised if they didn't even realize she had been missing all this time. The lack of connection was the only thing pulling her away from going, every time she considered it.

"I can't," she finally said.

Aria shut her eyes for a second, but then opened them because she had to keep her eyes on the road. "So you're just going to stay with me until we graduate? Don't you miss your bed?"

Spencer's attention was suddenly fixed on the road outside. This wasn't the way to get to Aria's house, but she knew exactly where Aria was headed. "Aria! What are you doing?"

"I'm dropping you off," she said at the same time her car pulled into the driveway. "Get out. We're all having lunch together tomorrow. I'll pick you up at eleven."

Spencer didn't move; she didn't say anything. All she did was sit there, stubbornly.

"Spencer. Get out of the car. Don't test me."

It was so hard to take Aria seriously like that. Instead of getting out of the car, Spencer sighed. "Just take me back. I'm tired, and want to go to bed.

"Perfect!" Aria said. "Your room is just up the stairs, and take a right. Sweet dreams."

Because they were sitting in a car, Aria couldn't _force_ Spencer out of the car. For right now, she could only try to convince Spencer to go back home.

"Look," Aria sighed. "Your mom called me, at the party. She wants you _home_."

"Are you sure about that?" Spencer muttered.

Aria turned around in her seat, so her body was facing Spencer. She didn't go on until Spencer looked right back at her. "I _am_ sure. She's been talking to me ever since you left your house a couple weeks ago. She let it slide at first, because she knew you were safe, but she's tired of it. And so am I. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I just wanted you to make the decision to come home all by yourself. I never imagined you still wouldn't come, even though it's _Christmas_."

Spencer froze. "You didn't tell her about…"

"No," she said softly, knowing Spencer was referring to her dad.

Spencer looked down at her hands. Was that really it? Her mother – and probably father – knew where she was this whole time? Though it _did_ make her feel better, she just wasn't ready to face her father. They hadn't spoken since he caught her coming home from "school" with Toby.

Then she looked at her house. None of the lights were on. It was just after one, so they had to be sleeping. Maybe Aria's right. Spencer should at least see where this will take her. It's not like she w_ants_ to leave her parents' house; she wants to stay until she graduates. This might not be so bad.

Giving Aria one quick hug, Spencer got out of the car, and opened the front door, using the key they hide in the flower pot. It opened quietly.

She tiptoed to the staircase. The room was dark, but enough light illuminated through the window and she was able to dodge the couch that she had thoughtlessly walked towards.

She got as far up as the third step before a light flickered on. She was momentarily blinded. Once her vision – slowly but surely – blurred back to normal, she whipped around. Her mother was standing in the kitchen, watching her expectantly, a glass of wine in one hand.

"So you're home, finally?"

Instead of answering, Spencer stepped back down to the hardwood floor. She didn't come any closer.

"Where's dad?"

Veronica traced the rim of her glass with her index finger. "Asleep." When she looked back up, her eyes weren't cold, like Spencer thought they would be. This caused Spencer to take a few more steps forward.

Spencer waited. They both knew, regardless of the still silence between them, that it wasn't up to Spencer for speaking right now.

"Why did you leave?" Her voice was patient, calm. Exactly _not_ how she thought it would be.

Spencer still waited. Even though a question was directly asked towards her, she still knew better. Her mother wasn't looking for an answer. The question was almost like a trick. If she answered honestly right now, the night might fall apart. But if she lied, Mrs. Hastings would know. Besides, her mother wasn't through talking. She was building up.

"Your father didn't tell me much, but I know you two had a…disagreement." She paused. "And I know you skipped class with Toby Cavanaugh."

This is where the fire ignites. She was angry; she just wasn't making it a point to show – yet.

"So," she continued. "I need you to tell me this: have you been with him this whole time? Was Aria covering for you?"

Normally, Spencer would've answered. But this time was different. Usually, it was a sense that it would be a mistake for Spencer to talk. But this time, Spencer actually saw it in Mrs. Hasting's eyes that now is not the time to confirm or deny anything.

"If you're worried about your father, don't be. I lied to him, and he has to reason not to believe me."

Spencer sometimes admired her mother's courage. Once, when she was young, Spencer used to think that her mother didn't have fears. Spencer wanted to be just like her; not a care in the world; never worrying about anything.

Things have clearly changed since then, and Spencer has slowly come to realize that she doesn't want this life, completely mapped out by her parents. She doesn't want to go through life without any regrets. Spencer just wants to be happy.

Still, she was a Hastings. She found buried inside of her what courage she had. "I _was_ with Aria – you can even ask Ella. And, yes, I did cut class, but I wouldn't take it back. Toby and I are friends. The reason I was gone was because…" There were no words she could think of, that matched her feelings perfectly. It was frustrating her. "I left because I needed to get away," was all she said.

Her mother closed her eyes. It was when she squeezed them shut that Spencer knew her mother wasn't satisfied.

"So you know about Toby's talk with his lawyer?"

Spencer blinked. "_You_ do?" The whole thing with Toby's lawyer was about keeping him away from her so that he couldn't spill about her dad's affair. If her mom knew about it, he must've created a lie to tell her.

"Honey, I know a lot more than you think," she said cryptically.

Suddenly, even though she and her mother were a good five yards away from each other, Spencer felt like she needed to back up. She felt too close to her. Spencer needed some space. Before she tried to excuse herself, Mrs. Hastings got up.

"Your father doesn't hate you," she said solemnly.

And with that, she climbed up the stairs and left. Spencer heard a door softly click into place a few moments later.

Numbly, Spencer carried her legs up the stairs. She changed into more comfortable clothes and quickly got ready for bed, but later forgot even doing that. Back in her big, warm bed, she fell asleep fast. For once, she actually let herself believe that she was living a worry-free life.

* * *

When Spencer was little, she did what every kid did on Christmas morning. She assumed now that children must have some sort of internal alarm clock, waking them up before dawn. For a while, it was Spencer that woke up first, ran in to get Melissa, and the two of them jumped on their parent's bed until they woke up.

But when Spencer finally woke up, it was a little after nine, and the sun was peeking through her curtains. Sighing, she got ready, and went downstairs. The smell of breakfast caused her stomach to churn. The first person she saw when walking downstairs was Melissa. She was in town for the holidays. Spencer had seen her briefly before moving in with Aria, but they hadn't had a real conversation since she came back.

"Good morning," Melissa chirped brightly.

Spencer cautiously walked into the kitchen and grabbed herself a cup of coffee. "Morning."

"Merry Christmas," Melissa said, probably attempting again to lighten Spencer up.

Spencer took a long sip of her coffee before answering. She decided to play along. It w_as_ Christmas, and Melissa was probably dropping her usual bitchy act for today. "So how've you been?"

"Busy," she replied. "What about you? I heard about you and Toby…"

All of a sudden, the smile on Melissa's lips looked more like a smirk. Melissa wasn't getting along for the sake of the holidays; it was an act. Spencer set her cup down, causing it to make a loud _plunk_. "You think I care what you think?"

"Well," Melissa said, tracing patterns on the countertop. "You probably don't; and I understand that. But I _do_ care about you, believe it or not. I don't want you getting hurt."

"He's the _last_ person that's ever hurt me."

Melissa nodded. "My opinion might not mean much to you, but don't forget, there's so much you don't know."

She felt like suddenly everybody was lying to her, or only giving her half the truth. "If you have something to say, then say it."

Melissa instantly became serious. "How well do you _really_ know him?" She didn't give Spencer a chance to reply. "My guess is, you don't know him as well as you think you do. And if I were you –"

"Morning, girls," their father said, coming downstairs. He smiled at Spencer. "Where have you been, stranger?"

Spencer gave him a tight mouthed smile. "Hey, dad."

Spencer felt Melissa's eyes trained on her, but she chose to ignore it. Whatever Melissa had to say wasn't over; she would find some time for them to talk again, and they both knew it. But, for now, Spencer just enjoyed being in the house right now. It was at least fairly easy to pretend like she belongs.

Her mother came down shortly after. They had breakfast together – Melissa being strangely quiet – and then all opened presents. Before she knew it, Emily texted her saying that she was on her way to pick her up for lunch.

"So how was it?" Aria asked several minutes later, after Spencer climbed into the car. All of the four girls were now here.

"I don't want you to say 'I told you so' but it was…_bearable_."

Aria nodded slightly. "I'll take it," she said, and then grinned.

The girls took a seat at the Apple Rose Grille a few moments later. The place wasn't too busy, which was nice. _Silver Bells_ was softly playing in the background, and the place was heated comfortably.

"So," Hanna said, pulling out a small bag from her purse. "When do you want to open presents?"

Emily shook her head. "I need to eat first."

Hanna looked slightly disappointed. After the waiter came and took their orders, she tried again. "What if you just open mine first?"

Spencer agreed. Emily still looked slightly uncertain, but Hanna was already excitedly handing them their own small box within the bag.

"I bought them a while back, but I wanted an occasion to go with it. When I bought it, Spencer, your birthday was the closest out of us, but it's still after Christmas. I bought myself one too," she added.

Spencer smiled to her friend, opening the box. It was, as she had thought, a small necklace. Looking at the others, she noticed the difference in all of them; they had their own birth stones in them. The charm was a small, thin silver disk. In the center was the gem. Spencer rubbed her thumb over it, smiling.

"It's beautiful, Han," Aria marveled. She hadn't taken her eyes off of it yet. She was born in July, earning a ruby. Spencer's was a diamond, Hanna had gotten aquamarine, and Emily had topaz, complimenting her skin tone nicely.

Hanna smiled. Spencer could see that she was pretty proud with what she had picked out.

Since she was the only one who had brought presents to lunch, the rest of their time had been spent talking, laughing, eating, and talking about past memories they had from this holiday.

"Well," Emily said. They were in Aria's car, driving around town, killing time after lunch with lattes in their hand. "I've got my presents for you." She paused dramatically. "I got us into The Rooftop this year," she announced.

The Rooftop was a pretty big deal in the entire state of Pennsylvania. Obviously, from the name, it takes place on a rooftop of a skyscraper in Philly. It was a traditional party for New Year's Eve. Radio and news stations always attended. Even Michael Jackson appeared one year. It was known nation-wide and was almost impossible to get into. On the roof were refreshments, a dance floor, and you could look down and see what looked to be all of Pennsylvania. The girls had all talked about what it would be like to go, but because it's so exclusive, they never actually thought it would happen. Only a couple hundred people could go, out of the hundreds of thousands that had ever heard of it.

A gloating smile was spread across Emily's face, as she waited for their reactions.

"Emily, how the hell did you pull that off?" Aria demanded.

"The four of us?" asked Hanna.

Spencer, who was in the backseat with Emily, grabbed onto her arm. "Are you serious?!"

Aria had slowed down the car now, intent on listening for details.

"My cousin – you know, the one that works most of the events in Philly – got ten tickets. She didn't need them all and thought of me. I snagged seven of them; the four of us, Caleb, Ezra," Hanna and Aria looked at each other and grinned even wider. Emily paused, trying to continue. She looked hesitant now. "And, um, the last one was for Paige but…"

The other three girls' excitement wavered slightly as the news obviously reached a tense topic. They immediately jumped in to comfort the girl.

But Emily wouldn't have that; not now. Instead of responding, she cleared her throat. Nobody said anything, unsure of what would set her over the edge. "So, I thought of giving Toby the ticket."

Spencer, selfishly, found herself grinning. She propped her elbow on her knee and cupped her hand around her cheek to hide it. She hated the way she was feeling over this; being happy because he got the extra ticket when it belonged to Paige, who Emily was obviously still heartbroken over – even if she won't show it; Emily _is_ strong.

"Why couldn't you just give the ticket back to Carrie?" Hanna questioned.

Hanna had behaved herself last night at the party after she and Spencer had that talk. Spencer had thought maybe Hanna was over it. And though she didn't hate Hanna – she couldn't – it was still irritating. She even questioned whether Hanna would _ever_ get over it – whatever it was.

Aria, gratefully, stepped in. She probably knew it was the best option. Emily was only half tuned in, her mind elsewhere, and Spencer…who knows what Spencer would say right now, at the level of frustration she was experiencing. "It's The _Rooftop_. If you don't want to go, you don't have to."

The bitterness inside of Spencer finally got the best of her. "What is your problem with him, anyway?"

Hanna shut up.

And that was it. She turned around, and never responded.

Nothing was said between any of them for the rest of the ride. A silent agreement fell upon them that it was probably best to go home, so Aria turned around. This was the first time she realized that Hanna was going out of her way to ignore her reason for disliking Toby. At first, Spencer assumed it was only because of his history. It was almost _agreed_ by the three of them – Spencer, Hanna, and Aria – that Toby was never to be associated with. But she soon realized in the car that there was more. And Hanna wasn't willing to drop a single hint about it.

* * *

_A/N For those of you wondering when Spoby will get together, think New Year's ;) wink wink_


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N Ready to find out why Hanna isn't too fond of Toby? The moment of truth arrives… (; The chapter is longer but definitely game changing._

* * *

"Goofball?" Spencer questioned. "Toby, you can't be serious."

He smirked at her. "I'm in the lead now."

Spencer stubbornly wrote down his score. It was sometime in the afternoon on New Year's Eve. They were in Toby's loft playing Scrabble. She hadn't seen him since the party on Christmas Eve. She wasn't sure why, they had just never made any plans.

Spencer examined her tiles. She had nothing. But right when she thought she saw something, her phone buzzed. It was Hanna, checking up on her. It was then that Spencer realized the time. They were supposed to meet at Hanna's to get ready for tonight.

"I've gotta go…" she said slowly.

Toby frowned. "We can finish later, I guess."

Spencer bit her lip. She really didn't want to leave the game now; the fact that he's beating her would be rattling her all night.

But, she didn't have any words left to play, and was already twenty minutes late. "Sorry," she apologized. "We'll pick you up at seven."

* * *

Four hours later, after finally getting in, the seven of them were finally on The Rooftop.

"This place is amazing," Hanna gushed.

Spencer couldn't agree more. In the center was a huge water fountain. Loud music was vibrating the floor, and the view from the edge was breathtaking.

Almost immediately, they all went their separate ways. Emily found her cousin and went to talk to her. Aria and Ezra left to look around, and Hanna dragged Caleb away to the mini bar, except Spencer couldn't shake the feeling it was because of Toby.

There were still two hours until midnight. From what Spencer remembered, it was basically just a party; it wasn't like they had karaoke, or anything. It was simply music, free food, and bragging rights that you got to come.

Spencer slowly made her way to the edge of the roof, Toby at her heels. She had never seen a scene like this before – there were so many lights when she looked down. Most of the city was awake, obviously, since it was New Year's Eve. Spencer watched the cars' headlights slowly move through traffic. Malls, shops, restaurants, and other businesses were still open, staying late for the holidays.

"This is unreal," she breathed.

Toby moved closer to her – they're arms against each other's and his hand placed on hers. She looked up at smiled at him.

He pointed straight ahead. "Do you see that?"

She caught sight of a building he was pointing at. The front was on the other side, and she couldn't see what it was.

"That's the hotel we stayed at," he told her.

She laughed, forgetting they were just recently in Philadelphia. But then she remembered who else stayed there that night, and her smile wavered.

The spent the next few moments in silence, probably thinking about the same thing. Spencer was slowly replaying everything that had happened after that night they stayed together.

Spencer turned her body to face him. Their hands disconnected, which made them both instantly colder. "Were you serious when you said you wanted to move to California?"

Toby hesitated, not sure how to answer. He didn't think she would bring that up here, and then realized they had never talked anymore about it since Jenna came over. "Yes," he answered honestly. "I _was_ thinking about it. I guess I'd be lying if I said I'm not anymore, because it's still on the table." He paused after reading her face. It was frozen, like she was trying hard not to show what she was thinking. "You have an opinion on this."

It wasn't a question, so Spencer chose not to respond. The only way he could be able to read her was through her eyes, but the sun was down, and party lights were bouncing off of them in weird places. He couldn't get to her.

It was like suddenly there was a wall around them that neither of them could get through. In many ways, their relationship was complicated. Their friends thought something more was going on, and even though there wasn't, both Toby and Spencer knew it would happen eventually. She couldn't see them _just_ as friends. There was something between them that had a more intense energy than she had ever had with anybody.

But that must be why it was so hard to completely be honest with him. She wanted him to stay more than anything, which scared her. There were so many things that she wanted to say to him, but couldn't find the right words. They only stood as friends for now. Spencer could only talk to him as a friend. That's exactly why their relationship was complicated; neither of them knew where they stood. They had shared some intimate moments, and felt the same about each other. But that was it. Nothing else about them claimed they were together.

They were already pulled together. They had already found each other. With Toby, nothing felt wrong – ever. In many ways, he was her rock. She had friends, who loved her more than anything, but she just felt _safe_ with him. And it wasn't just a brotherly bond. There was so much more to it than that.

So why did it seem like she was walking on treacherous ground when it came to showing him her feelings? Why was Toby being careful with his words, at times like this, because he was afraid of making her feel uncomfortable? They were being too cautious around each other.

Spencer finally came to realize that she didn't want this. She didn't want these misleading guides towards him. Spencer was tired of her fear deciding what she wanted. She liked the way Toby makes her feel. She liked the buzz that runs through her when they touch. She liked the butterflies and the speed of her heart rate when he looks at her.

"I do have an opinion," she finally said, matter-of-factly. "I don't want you to go."

Once the words escaped her lips, Toby realized it was exactly what he wanted to hear. She grabbed his hand again. The walls were finally down.

Toby didn't have a chance to respond before she went on. "You have great opportunities here, in Rosewood. Maybe you don't have the most ideal family, but believe me, I don't either. If you go…that's like running away. You can't run from your problems."

Though Toby didn't show any doubt, she sighed. "Okay, that's not the only reason. _I_ don't want you to go. And, I realize I don't own you but…please stay," she pleaded.

Toby only smiled. She was probably expecting more of a chuckle from him, but that didn't feel right. There was so much meaning behind it. At the end of the day, the only opinion he cared about was Spencer's.

Toby's free hand slipped around her waist and pulled her closer. Spencer's heart was immediately racing, almost jumping out of her chest.

One sharp _pong_ of what sounded like a bell caused them both to jump. It was the one-hour-to-midnight warning.

Cheers floated around them, and Spencer couldn't help but smile.

Before there could be any awkward moments between them, Emily appeared from behind them. "There you are! I can't find the others. I saw Hanna sneak off to the bar with Caleb, but they're not there anymore. Nobody's answering their phones. Have you guys noticed how _huge_ this place is? On TV, it looks so small," she rambled. Emily was about to say more, but stopped. She finally _really_ looked at the two of them. Her eyes shifted to Toby's arm, which was still wrapped around her waist. Toby quickly pulled it back, but that only made her mind wander even more. Her eyes grew, showing off the whites of them. Slowly, she started to back away. "I think I'm going to check the VIP area; Hanna's bound to be around there."

Emily quickly spun around and started walking away. Spencer bit her lip, and looked up. She was glad it was Emily who found them like that and not Aria or Hanna, but still wished that hadn't happened. After counting to ten, she looked back down at Toby. He was trying to hold in his laugh.

"It's not funny," she insisted, but couldn't help herself from chuckling slightly. It really _wasn't_ funny, but she found it an easy way to relieve the tension.

Suddenly, Toby pulled back even _more_ than he had just done so. The two of them weren't even touching anymore.

Spencer was both confused and hurt. Were they going back again? Were the walls back up?

But before she questioned him, his actions immediately made her grateful when Hanna and Caleb came up from behind them.

"I _told_ you we would find them," Hanna pointed a finger at Caleb's chest. "They're not gone forever."

Caleb grabbed her wrist and pulled them down. He looked at the two of them apologetically. "I think she's had a little too much to drink," he explained.

Spencer rolled her eyes, but also found it amusing. She cleared her throat. "You just missed Emily."

"Where did she go?" Caleb asked.

Spencer shot a look at Toby before replying. "Come on, I'll go with you."

* * *

For the next forty minutes, the four of them went searching for either Emily or Aria and Ezra. Spencer was beginning to regret going with Hanna and Caleb. At the time, she just wasn't sure how much longer she would be able to be near Toby, but now, she just wanted to be alone with him.

There wasn't much time for that after running into Aria and Ezra. Of course, some things were still weird with Ezra, but Spencer was getting to the point where she didn't mind so much. Aria was in love and, old English teacher or not, Spencer was happy for her.

They all finally reunited right before midnight. Emily, too, looked a little wasted. She didn't seem to be as bad as Hanna, though. Spencer and the others let it slide; she's going through a lot.

There was a giant, glowing countdown board stationed at one end of The Rooftop. By now, people were crowding around it. By the time they all made their way over, so many people were there that it was hard to see the board. Not that it was a problem; almost everybody was counting down loudly.

Hanna had dragged Caleb ahead of the rest of them, wanting to be as close to the front as possible. Spencer, Toby, and Emily were right behind them. Aria and Ezra were off to the side a bit.

"10…9…8…" the crowd cheered.

Spencer abruptly remembered the famous New Year's tradition. How could she have forgotten?

"7…6…5…"

She looked from their linked hands, and up to him. He smiled at her, clearly excited.

"4…3…2…"

Spencer didn't wait until midnight. She grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him closer. The second their lips met, Spencer's knees went weak. He curled his arm around her waist, supporting her. She couldn't think about anything in that moment except that there was nobody else around. It was just Toby.

Her body felt like it was on fire. Did this kind of passion even exist? Somehow, her mind registered the vibration that was her heart. It had never pumped so quickly before – not even after she had finished running four miles without a break for field hockey. Something inside of her changed. She didn't feel broken anymore. She didn't feel lost, she didn't feel alone.

They broke apart sooner than she wanted but realized it might've been for the best. It took her a few moments to catch her breath. She looked at the countdown board. It was a little over a minute after midnight.

Looking up, she finally noticed fireworks booming above them. Everything was so quiet and peaceful up until she allowed her ears to stretch beyond him. People were cheering, the music was once again turned up, and this year's host was announcing through a loud microphone about how great the year was going to be.

After getting a chance to compose herself and reply that moment a few times, she finally looked back at him. She was leaning back on her heels, but that was because his arm was still wrapped around her lower back. She absent-mindedly reached up to touch his lips, which curled up into a smile under her fingertips.

Spencer dropped her hand once she saw who was behind Toby. Had Emily been watching them this whole time?

Emily looked away, one realizing she had been caught. She casually walked around, in search for Aria.

It wasn't long before their next party of onlookers approached them. Hanna didn't look angry, like Spencer would've guessed. She almost looked upset.

The blonde cleared her throat. "So you're…" she couldn't finish. Spencer couldn't help but notice how she was only looking at Toby.

Toby looked away, not responding. It almost looked like he felt guilty. Spencer rubbed his hand, not wanting Hanna to get to him.

Hanna's eyes slid to their hands, and her mood instantly changed. "I hope you two are happy." Her voice was thick with angry tears.

Caleb looked just as lost as Spencer felt. Toby, however, knew exactly what was going on.

Hanna drew her hand back from Caleb and went straight past them. Spencer started to go after her but Toby stopped her. "Just let her cool off," he urged.

Spencer looked at Caleb, then back at Toby. "What do you know?"

He paused. "Who would you rather hear it from?"

Spencer instant answer was him. But she needed to see Hanna. And she _has _known Hanna longer. After thinking for a moment, Spencer sighed, brought him into a quick hug, and ran in the direction Hanna went.

Hanna wasn't hard to find. In truth, the blonde knew Spencer would chase after her, so she didn't go very far. By the time Spencer reached Hanna, a single tear was flowing down her cheek.

Spencer didn't say anything. She gently wiped her tear away and held her chin up until Hanna finally looked her in the eye. Spencer didn't say anything. She knew Hanna is going to talk eventually.

Hanna opened her mouth to explain a few times, but she couldn't talk. Her throat was thick with tears. After a few moments, Spencer led them into the bathroom, where it was, thankfully, empty. They sat on the couch in the powder room.

"I'm sorry for being such a bitch," she started. Spencer didn't respond, willing her to continue. Instead of explaining, Hanna found some ways to stall. "It's not that I don't want you to be happy. I'm just trying to look out for you."

This confused Spencer. "_That's_ what's got you so upset?" Spencer rubbed her back. Hanna was fixing to lose it any moment. "Han, I appreciate it, but I can look out for myself," she said gently.

Hanna shook her head. "I know something…that I wish I didn't. I wanted to leave it alone. He _told_ me to leave it alone… But I can't."

Spencer knew she was in a fragile state right now, but Hanna needed to get to the point. "Leave what alone?"

Hanna slid a finger under her bottom lash line to catch any makeup that might've spilled over. She looked at the black it left on her thumb and gently wiped it off on her jeans. "After Emily told me – us – about Paige, I got angry," she started slowly. "One night, I followed her car to a motel. She spent a little over an hour in there. When she left, I went in – the door was unlocked," she rolled her watery eyes.

Spencer's heart was beating wildly, like it was trying to pump its way from her chest. She didn't like where this was going.

"It-it was A's lair…that's what I assumed."

Outside the room, fireworks were booming, girls were screaming, and Jay-Z was reverberating the walls. Spencer didn't hear any of it. She isn't even aware if she's hearing Hanna anymore.

"I took pictures of most of it. I still have them," she mumbled softly. "And then he walked in."

Spencer grabbed the edge of the couch for support. She was afraid everything was going to fall under her. She closed her eyes; the room was suddenly spinning. She had to open them again when she realized tears were falling freely down her face. They were silent tears. She couldn't bring herself to sob.

"Spencer…Hanna…?"

Neither of them had noticed Aria's arrival. But she didn't ask any more questions. She went to sit on the couch in between the two of them. Spencer rested her forehead on Aria's shoulder, still not making a sound.

"Spencer, I'm sorry." Hanna's voice was barely audible.

That was all the confirmation she needed. Hanna didn't need to explain anything else that happened that night. It was clear. Toby was working with Paige.


	12. Chapter 12

The weeks blurred. Luckily for Spencer, everything she did was routine. It came in handy for times like this, when her mind wasn't capable of thinking about what she was doing. On the rare occasions when she tried to pull herself together, she found it hard to remember how she got there, or when the last time she ate was. Simple things, like remembering to put socks on _both_ feet became an issue for her. Nothing made sense anymore.

Spencer had no idea how he got home that morning. By the time she had managed to pull herself together, she saw to it that they leave him here. Emily had excused herself when they were getting ready to leave, but Spencer wasn't an idiot. She knew Emily went to talk to him, tell him that there wasn't a chance for him right now. He was in too deep. But Emily thought everybody deserved a second chance.

Hanna would apologize countless times. Eventually, Spencer stopped responding. Though she understood how Hanna might be feeling like the one at fault here, she was getting irritating. Hanna was also trying the hardest to cheer Spencer up, failing every single time.

They had five days after New Year's before going back to school. That was when Spencer was still in her raw stage. She was dreading going back to school, and having to face him. She even asked Melissa – _Melissa_ – if she could stay with her in Philly for a few weeks. Obviously, Melissa declined, telling her she needed to go to school. It took every ounce of strength she had – which was running thin by the hour – not to have a breakdown right there in class when she saw Toby wasn't at school the day they came back. He was ignoring her, not that she had pointedly reached out to him.

Spencer had dreaded the next day even more, fearing he might be back. But he never was. After a couple of weeks in his absence, Emily found the spare key to his loft. She didn't know his side of the story yet but was willing to listen. The door creaked when she opened it. Emily had winced, trying not to frighten him by showing up out of the blue.

It was empty. He was gone.

That was the first time Emily had let herself go. She threw the keys across the room, not caring where it went, and collapsed on the ground.

He was gone.

Paige wasn't gone. She was still attending classes, still on the swim team. She ignored Emily every chance she got, but Paige wasn't _gone_. Why had Toby left? She didn't even get to hear him out. She never got to say goodbye.

Emily had to come to the point to ask herself if it was even real. Was Toby just playing along? Did he mean anything he said? Ever?

Did he ever try to call her? Though the girls highly doubted it, they never asked Spencer.

It was the second semester of their senior year and because Spencer was top of the class, her teachers let her behavior slide. But their patience was running out. She needed to check back in, for everyone's sake. She never talked, even when asked a direct question. The girls came into her room – where she was when she wasn't at school – freely but that didn't mean they had Spencer's attention. Spencer didn't even find it in her heart to care about her dad's affair.

Now, halfway into February, Spencer was lying in bed, far too early that usual. Ever since New Year's, she has wrapped herself in the blankets, sweats on, and teeth brushed by eight, sometimes seven-thirty.

It gave her way too much time to think. In the beginning, crying was the only way she could express what she was feeling. She couldn't talk to anybody. But at this point, they were small tears running down her face, almost every night. The traces of the burning salt water reminded her of Toby's touch.

She's the only one through all of this that hasn't considered that Toby might've been faking. Everything just felt too real with him. Regardless of what he did, or what she was feeling now, she knew it was real. All of it was.

"Spencer?"

Spencer didn't respond, pretending to already be asleep.

Hanna tried again. This time, her voice was a mere whisper. "Spencer?"

It was Friday night. Hanna was staying with Spencer. She had put up no argument when Hanna stepped into her bedroom a couple hours ago and announced that she was staying with her tonight. Only when they were lying down was when Spencer talked, for the first time in a while, to Hanna, asking if she could stay on the bed with her (Hanna had settled for sleeping on the floor).

Slowly, Spencer turned her body around to face Hanna.

"You-you forgot to eat dinner," Hanna reminded.

Spencer shrugged. Normally, that would be the only response from her, but she surprised Hanna by speaking again. "I'm not hungry."

Hanna cautiously reached out to stroke her friend's arm. "That's what you said last night."

When Spencer didn't reply, Hanna shut her eyes, hating what she had to do now. "Spencer, I know you're hurting. We've all been there. But sometimes…that's life. You have to learn how to face these obstacles. You…you told me that you were never serious with Toby." Spencer shut her eyes, but Hanna kept going. "It shouldn't be this hard to get through. Especially you. You're the strongest woman I know. So why can't you just let him go?"

The words sent knives through Spencer's heart. She had even wondered this, too. They had had one kiss, and that was it. Why is it taking her almost two months to even get out of bed? The answer came easily to her, but she wasn't going to tell Hanna.

The moon was suddenly in the perfect angle, illuminating Spencer's skin. She was too pale.

Hanna rolled out of bed. "I'm gonna make you something to eat."

When Hanna got to the kitchen, she dialed Aria's number. She answered immediately. "How is she?" Aria's voice was filled with anticipation and concern.

Hanna captured her phone between her shoulder and cheek, rummaging through the Hastings's fridge. "Better," she commented. "She's doing a lot better."

"Really?" Aria exhaled. "I would've thought…with today being…"

"I know," Hanna cut in. She pulled out some leftover grilled chicken. "I left her upstairs. I'm making dinner now, and I don't care if I have to shove this down her throat – she's eating this."

There was silence lingering on the phone call. Hanna transferred the chicken onto a plate and put it in the microwave to be reheated. It wasn't until it was done that Aria finally spoke up.

"He wrote her. Wrote Emily."

Hanna almost dropped the plate that held Spencer's dinner. She carefully set it down and gripped the edge of the counter. "He _what_?! What did he say?"

Aria blew air from her lips. "Not much. He said he was sorry. He didn't deny anything, though." Aria paused. "The letter came from California."

Hanna dragged herself to a bar stool, suddenly needed a seat. "He…he's really gone."

Aria didn't say anything. Hanna was too shocked to care so she abruptly ended the phone call.

She numbly brought the plate back up to Spencer who was, surprisingly, sitting up in bed. Hanna's heart broke all over again.

Spencer dove right in when the plate was handed to her. She finished it so fast; Hanna didn't even remember her eating any of it. But then again, her mind was elsewhere.

"Spencer?" Hanna decided she was going to ask if she knew anything about California.

But then she saw Spencer licking her fingers, getting all of the flavor off. Hanna changed her mind "Do you want more?"

Spencer slowly nodded. She was just realizing how hungry she was.

Hanna quickly came back with another piece of chicken, which Spencer finished in record time again. This time, she declined Hanna's offer for thirds.

"I want to talk," Spencer admitted quietly.

Hanna nodded, grabbing both of her friend's hands. "Tell me anything."

Spencer never said anything for another fifteen minutes. Hanna never got impatient through any of it.

"Why is this happening?" she finally asked.

Hanna knew nothing about counseling, or how to make somebody feel better. She didn't know how to respond to Spencer's question. She clearly knew _why _it was happening – because life will screw anyone over when given the chance. That's what Hanna had come to learn in her realm of experience. Being happy too long is forbidden. Nobody leads a perfect life. Nothing about it was fair.

"Why is what happening?" she asked gently. Maybe if Spencer verbally acknowledges her pain or confusion, she'll feel better.

"Do you know what day it is?" Spencer asked quietly.

Hanna bowed her head. She was hoping Spencer would forget.

Following Spencer, Hanna numbly slipped under the blankets, too. It was a good hour before Spencer was finally asleep. Hanna grabbed her opportunity. Rolling off the bed, she reached in her bag for Spencer's phone. It was usually off. Hanna was tapping the screen impatiently, waiting for it to turn on.

Once it finally had, she had to wait even longer for any missed calls or messages to show up. She quickly shot down any school reminders or emails Spencer had gotten. Hesitantly, Hanna clicked on her missed calls.

He had called her today. It was the first time he had tried to reach out to her since The Rooftop. Hanna blinked through her tears and searched for her next priority.

He also texted her today. The first text message she had received from him at all. After reading it, Hanna threw her phone on the floor and cupped her palm around her forehead, as if she had a headache.

Of course he would reach out today. He never gave her an explanation, and that infuriated Hanna. It was a simple text, as though nothing had happened these past several weeks. Did he even care about her anymore? Had he moved on already? _Wonder how life in California is treating him_, Hanna thought sourly.

* * *

Spencer had heard the whole thing. She wasn't really asleep. She knew Hanna was going to grab her phone, so she stayed awake.

She didn't know what she was hoping for. Maybe for Hanna to read any messages out loud or for her to flash the screen in Spencer's face to see what it said. Obviously, Hanna had done neither. So, Spencer waited – almost another hour – before hearing Hanna softly snore. Finding her chance, she slid off the bed, found her phone, and eagerly unlocked it.

Because Hanna had already read them, they didn't show up as new messages so Spencer had to comb through a lot to find everything.

He called her. Spencer's heart raced. What if Spencer heard her phone ring? Would she have answered? Spencer thought she would, based on the day it was today…

After reading the text he sent her, Spencer had to shove her fist in her mouth to keep from crying. There was so much she wanted him to say. Did he say any of it? No. Part of her was angry, but the other part was beginning to come alive again.

She decided not to be angry with him for what he sent. Maybe he would've told her more had she answered her damn phone earlier. What she got was good enough. And, if it had to be the end of them, maybe, just maybe, she could handle that.

The image of his message burned through her mine when she climbed back in bed and closed her eyes. It read simply:

_Happy Valentine's Day –Toby_

* * *

_A/N Literally wrote all of this in less than an hour. My fingers were just FLYING. I find it sad. It's never happy when Spoby isn't together. But, this is not the end, even though I know it's almost made out to be. I know I haven't updated in what seems like eight years but it was recently my birthday and my week has unusually been super busy. I couldn't squeeze in even a second to upload. But like I said, this story isn't over even though Spoby might be ;)_


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